Tissues and Issues
by sweeet-as-honey
Summary: Cal feels very unwell and thinks he should take the day off work. Ethan definitely thinks he should take the day off. But Cal is much better at giving medical advice than he is at receiving it.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a bit silly, but it was inspired by Cal's refusal to take the day off after what happened with Taylor.**

* * *

Cal flopped down onto the sofa and put both hands over his mouth, trying to stifle his coughs. His head was aching, his nose was starting to run and he wasn't sure how he was ever going to stand up again. He hated taking days off work and had been known to go even when last night's drinking session had left an entire nightclub pounding in his head, but luckily he didn't get ill all that often, or not to the extent where he needed to stay at home.

The worst thing about being ill as far as Cal was concerned was usually the moment when he realised that even though he knew he could cope physically with a night out, he was too ill to subject anyone else to his germs and therefore was condemned to spending the night alone.

But now, the thought of a night out was far from his mind. He wasn't at all sure he could get through the next five minutes and even the _idea_ of going to work made him feel as though he needed to lie down.

Maybe it was time to admit the truth to himself. He wasn't well enough to work and it wasn't as though his patients were going to appreciate the fact he'd dragged himself out of bed to save their lives. They'd be too busy moving their chairs as far from him as possible and plotting miraculous recoveries so they could escape before the germy doctor sneezed again.

Cal had to admit it was a relief to have made that decision. No patients; no big decisions; no worrying about whether he was going to faint or calculating how long it was till he could dope himself up with more medication. He would just go back to bed and go back to sleep, and hope he'd be feeling better tomorrow.

They could manage without him for one day.

* * *

Ethan came out of the bathroom and went in search of his brother. He'd guessed from the aggressive way Cal had insisted he was fine last night that he was actually feeling pretty terrible, and he wasn't expecting him to feel any better this morning.

His suspicions were only confirmed when he found the pile of cold meds next to Cal's wallet. Paracetamol, nasal spray, decongestants, cough sweets, throat spray… Cal was probably better-stocked than the hospital pharmacy.

Ethan followed a trail of used tissues (Connie would go spare if Cal started dropping those all over the hospital) and discovered Cal curled up on the sofa with his eyes closed. This was another bad sign. Cal didn't like Ethan seeing him like that and he almost always made some attempt at looking completely healthy.

At first, Ethan thought Cal was asleep, but then he started sniffing.

Ethan knelt down beside him and put his hand on his shoulder. "Caleb?"

Cal's only answer was a violent sneeze followed by a series of coughs which he chose to stifle in a cushion. Ethan shook his head at this complete lack of hygiene and went to find him some tissues. Cal had left the box on the draining board beside the plate he'd washed up. Ethan thought grimly that Cal really wasn't himself if he was voluntarily washing up. Cal thought washing up was something you did when you'd run out of plates.

When Ethan returned, Cal was still lying down. Ethan knelt down beside him again. "Here you are, Cal. I thought you might need these. I'll come back at lunchtime to see how you are."

"What?" Cal sat up and sniffed. "What are you talking about?" Without waiting for an answer, he stood up, knocking the tissues to the floor. He looked down at Ethan, who was still kneeling. "Are you ready to go or do I have to go without you?"

Ethan considered screaming. "Caleb, you're not thinking of going to work."

"Why wouldn't I go to work?" said Cal.

"You're not well enough," said Ethan. He stood up. "You're contagious and I can tell you feel awful. Stop being so stubborn and go to bed."

"There's nothing wrong with me," said Cal. He turned away and sneezed. "You just need to dust more, that's all."

Ethan just about managed to stop himself from throwing the tissues at Cal's head.

* * *

Cal hoped he'd start to feel better soon. Even being driven by Ethan was exhausting, though that was probably partly because Ethan had spent the whole time telling him how much better he'd feel if he was at home in bed.

"Cal, it is okay to take the day off when you're ill," Ethan was saying. He was being quite kind about it, but that only made it more annoying. "Everyone will understand."

Cal was resting his forehead against the car window in an attempt to ease his headache. The more Ethan talked about bed, the more he longed to be in it (and for once, he wanted to be alone in it), but he was determined not to give in.

He wasn't completely sure why he was determined not to give in, but he'd given up on working out why because thinking was bad for his headache.

"Everyone takes days off when they're ill," Ethan said as he parked the car. "You always insist that I take the day off when I'm ill."

"I'm not as ill as you were," said Cal. "And I've taken some medication so I'll be even better soon. I haven't sneezed for ages."

Ethan put his hand on his arm. "Okay. Let's see how you go. But if you feel worse…"

"I'm not going to feel worse," said Cal. He was trying to convince himself as well as Ethan. "I don't feel that bad anyway. I'm fine."

He sneezed.

"Everyone sneezes sometimes," he said defiantly as he got out of the car.


	2. Chapter 2

**AV Mabs** , thank you for your review. I'm glad you like sickfic. So do I! I had to change the title as you know, but I hope you like the new one too. Thanks for your support too.

 **Tanith Panic** , I'm glad it's realistic that Cal would insist on working, though it is a bit more problematic in a hospital, as Cal might find out! Thanks for your review.

 **Guest** , I am so, so sorry. you're right and I still feel really awful about it. I would never want to be insensitive or hurt anyone, but the truth is I am a stupid, ignorant person. It honestly didn't occur to me that it could be interpreted like that. If I had I would never have used it as a title. I don't know anything about the real cold war (I actually didn't think it was a war in the traditional sense), but I have often heard the phrase used to describe the situation between two people who are either not talking or only communicating in a very cold and icy way. That seemed to describe the relationship between Cal and Ethan as well as the fact they are arguing about Cal's cold in this story, and that's why I decided to use it as a title. I really hope the new title is not offensive, but I really am so sorry. If I think of any other titles that have implications of violence, I will google them before I use them to make sure it is not offensive.

 **Imagine-Hope123** , I liked it too. It was the first not totally rubbish title I've ever thought of, but I'd rather be rubbish than offend people :( Thank you for your review, it was comforting.

 **TheAtomicCheesepuff** , Aw poor you, I hope you're feeling better now! Thanks for your review - I'm really glad you like the story.

* * *

Ethan picked up another tissue from the floor and sighed. He knew they weren't necessarily all Cal's and he'd actually only found three so far, but he knew there might be others being picked up by other people.

He went to the loos to dispose of it and discovered Cal blowing his nose. He was doing it in the medically-approved way, but Ethan didn't hold out much hope that he'd remembered the medically-approved way of staying at home and ensuring he didn't create an epidemic.

Cal disposed of his tissue and let his hands fall to his sides. He rested his forehead against the tiled wall for a moment. "What do you want?" he said hoarsely.

"How are you?" asked Ethan.

Cal walked slowly over to a mirror and checked his appearance. The sight of his reflection usually gave Cal pleasure, but today he turned away. "I'm suing the company that makes those decongestants. They don't work."

"They aren't very reliable," agreed Ethan. He went over to Cal. "They can even make your symptoms worse. They're not something I'd recommend."

Cal started coughing. "And I'm suing the cough sweet company too!" he spluttered.

Ethan put a sympathetic hand on Cal's arm. "Why don't you go to the staff room and draft out an email to them? I'll read it for you later if you like." He wouldn't usually have encouraged such an action, but anything that would make Cal sit down for a while sounded like a good idea to him.

Cal looked tempted. He was gripping the sink tightly as though he needed it to stay upright. "I suppose I am due for a break fairly soon…" He checked his watch: even that seemed a physical effort. "It must have stopped. There's no way I've only been here for forty minutes!" He held the watch to his ear. "No, it seems to be working." He tried to say something else, but the coughs started again.

The sound of them worried Ethan. He reached for his stethoscope. "Maybe I should have a listen to your chest. You sound a bit wheezy."

Cal glared at him. "I'm just coughing, Ethan! Everyone coughs sometimes!" He turned and stormed off.

* * *

"Hi, my name's Dr Knight," said Cal as he showed his patient into a cubicle.

"Hi, Dr Dite."

"No, Dr _Knight_!" said Cal, trying and failing to produce the n-sound. "Like knight in shining armour."

The patient looked at Cal sympathetically. "You sound less healthy than I am."

"Then you're obviously not ill enough to come to the ED," said Cal crossly, but he regretted the words as soon as he'd said them. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. It was unprofessional and rude. How can I help you?"

* * *

Ethan had his own patients to worry about that morning, but he checked on Cal whenever he could. He even left one of his patients when he heard someone sneezing repeatedly outside the cubicles. "Cal, are you okay?"

"Fine," said Cal, sniffing hard.

Ethan looked in concern at his red nose and dark-shadowed eyes. "You should probably have your break now." He'd suggested it every time he'd seen Cal, but so far, Cal had always rejected the idea and walked off in a sniffly-nosed huff. "Take as long as you like. I'll cover for you."

"I feel like I need a break actually," said Cal, to Ethan's relief. But then he added: "From you and your nagging!"

* * *

Cal had been looking forward to his break and had actually been trying to think up an excuse for getting Ethan to take some of his workload without admitting he felt awful.

But now Ethan had suggested it himself and Cal was annoyed and the result was that he'd decided he wasn't going to take a break at all. Part of him knew that this was illogical and inadvisable, but he was far more aware of the fact that Ethan seemed obsessed with proving him wrong.

He was on his way to see his next patient when a trolley arrived, bearing a semiconscious patient. Cal immediately went to help. Moving quickly made him feel dizzy, but at last he grasped the side of the trolley, though he felt he was holding onto it for support rather than helping it to move more quickly. He tried to take in what Dixie was saying, but his head felt fuzzy and he was forgetting what she'd said almost as soon as she'd said it.

"Okay, pain relief," Cal said when they'd got the patient into Resus.

Rita gave him a concerned look. "Dixie's already administered morphine."

Cal tried to look as though he'd known this already. He started sniffing as he tried to remember what else Dixie had said.

Rita caught his arm. "Cal, are you okay?"

"Fine," said Cal. "So you said the pulse was a little bit high, so-"

"A little bit low," corrected Rita, a worried frown still on her face.

"That's what I said," said Cal, but he knew he hadn't.

"Are you sure you're okay?" said Rita.

Cal knew he had to get out of there. He couldn't risk putting the patient in even more danger. "Just give me a minute," he said and rushed out of the room, looking around desperately for another doctor. "Ethan!" He didn't know if he was relieved to see his brother or not. "There's a patient in Resus. Rita knows the details. I've got to…"

 _I've got to lie down_ , he thought to himself as he leaned against the wall. He was starting to feel giddy. _I shouldn't have come in today. I nearly put a patient in danger._

Ethan threw him the briefest of worried glances, but he didn't take the time to stop. "Go and lie down!" he called to Cal over his shoulder.

Cal glared at the back of Ethan's head and staggered off to find the next patient.

* * *

"Seriously, Ethan, I think he might be drunk," said Rita.

It was some time later and the patient had been successfully treated. Ethan had been going to go and check on Cal, but Rita had said she wanted a word.

"He's not drunk," said Ethan, not troubling to hide his frustration. "He's ill and he won't admit it."

Rita looked startled. "Why won't he admit it? I thought guys loved being ill. The smallest stomach twinge or sniffle and they're calling it flu."

"Not Cal," said Ethan. "He hates being the patient. He shouldn't have come in today, but he refused to stay at home. I would have driven off without him, but I knew he'd only try to make his own way to work and I didn't think that was a good idea."

"I've seen him rushing off to the loos two or three times," said Rita. "I wondered why. He really shouldn't be here if he's throwing up."

"He's not," said Ethan. "He's got a really horrible cold and he goes in there to blow his nose, but all that running about isn't good for him. _Working_ isn't good for him. Being out of bed isn't good for him. He needs to go home!" He looked appealingly at Rita. "But what can I do? He won't listen to me."


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you so much for all the reviews - I'm overwhelmed!

 **Tanrith Panic** , Cal's obviously the exception that proves the rule! Let's see if he follows your excellent advice. Thanks for the review!

 **lilangel1** , thank you for your review and for following and favouriting. I'm so happy you enjoyed the chapter.

 **CasualtyFanForever8** , thank you, I think this is the first time I've really written about Rita so it's good to know I did okay. Cal probably will be fine... if he does as he's told! Thanks for the review.

 **CBloom2** , I love caring Ethan too! He's the doctor I'd most want to look after me if I was ill. Thank you for your review.

 **charlibear13** , thank you so much. It really helps to have your support and reassurance. I'm really happy you like the story.

 **AVMabs** , poor you, it doesn't sound like the most fun Christmas! I used to be the same with injuries. I've danced with broken bones, torn ligaments and an arm that was twice the size of the other due to a bee sting. I'm always hurting myself. Thank you for the review!

 **ETWentHome** , thank you for your lovely review. I'm really happy you're enjoying the story. It's nice that Ethan is getting a bit of sympathy as well as Cal!

 **Is-there-somewherex** , thank you, I'm glad you like the title and that you're enjoying the story.

* * *

Cal was shivering as he listened to the elderly lady's very detailed description of her recent bowel movements. He didn't mind the description so much and he'd heard and seen worse, but he was starting to get a bit resentful of patients who were less ill than he was. "Couldn't you have gone to your GP?" he said when he finally managed to get a word in.

"I tried!" The patient said indignantly. "They told me they had an appointment for next week. Next week! I could be dead by then."

Cal felt as though there was a good chance he might be too. He sniffed and wiped his nose on his hand. "If you could lie down for me, I'll-"

"Disgusting boy!" The patient moved away from him. "Haven't you got a handkerchief? I thought hospitals were supposed to be hygienic. Who knows what I might catch if I let you touch me?"

"I'm sorry. I'll just be a minute," said Cal, and dragged himself off to the loos.

By the time he'd dragged himself out, he could barely face going all the way back to the cubicle. He decided that once he'd finished with the patient, he'd go and have a break. He'd earned it.

* * *

Ethan was surprised but very relieved when he went into the staff room and found Cal slumped in a chair. "Oh, you're taking an early lunch break. That's good."

"I'm not taking a break!" said Cal. "I was just… having a paracetamol. The heart monitors are giving me a headache."

Ethan decided not to argue with him. "How are you holding up?" he asked. His brother looked worse than before. Ethan pressed the back of his hand against Cal's forehead. He was sweating, but he didn't seem to have a temperature.

"I'm fine," said Cal as he weakly pushed Ethan's hand away. "There's nothing wrong with me." He sneezed explosively. "Just stop fussing and leave me alone!" It took him two attempts to get out of the chair, which spoiled his exit rather and he looked a little bit wobbly as he made his way out of the staff room.

Ethan watched him go. He could tell Cal was feeling terrible, but there didn't seem to be anything he could do short of dragging Cal out of the hospital and taking him home. Even considering Cal's weakened condition, Ethan doubted he'd manage it. Cal was taller and stronger than he was, not to mention a lot more stubborn.

Ethan sank down in the chair Cal had vacated. Saving lives was physically, mentally and emotionally demanding, but at least Ethan could usually work out what he needed to do. Worrying about his brother was different matter.

* * *

The loos seemed to be getting further away every time Cal went there. In the end, he gave up and decided that next time his nose started running, he would just go out into the corridor and hope no-one saw him.

It was fine the first couple of times, but then Zoe came along at just the wrong moment. "Cal, are you okay?" She scanned his face, her own filling with concern. "You don't look well at all. Are you sure you should be here?"

"I'm fine. I'm just allergic to… to Ethan," said Cal, unable to think of anything more objectionable than his nagging brother.

"Yes, I know, but he doesn't usually make your nose run," said Zoe. She looked at her watch. "It's past time for your lunch break. You might feel better once you've had something to eat." She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Why don't you take an extra half-hour or so? We'll see how you feel after that."

Cal had been feeling quite pleased it was past time for his lunch break. He'd get the rest he needed, but he'd have avoided going early like Ethan had told him to.

But Zoe's words made him feel cross all over again. "I don't need a long lunch break," he said and stalked back to his patient.

Actually, he didn't feel at all hungry, so there wasn't much point in having a lunch break at all.

* * *

Ethan knew it was time to get tough. Properly tough.

As soon as it was time for his lunch break, he went in search of Cal. Either Cal would sit and have lunch with him or Ethan would drive him home. Those, Ethan told himself, were the only choices.

But Cal was nowhere to be found. Ethan heard no coughs, no sneezes, and saw no complete idiots sapping the little strength they had by running to the loos. Cal had even switched his phone off, which was unusual for him and showed he really didn't want to be disturbed.

Ethan's spirits rose.

Perhaps Cal had finally seen sense and gone home.

* * *

Cal's patient was limping heavily, but Cal still had trouble keeping up with him. His head was pounding and the room spun when he moved too quickly, which was almost every time he moved.

As soon as they reached the cubicle, Cal felt a sneeze coming. He covered his mouth and nose with a tissue, not wanting another lecture on hygiene. Cal really didn't think he could cope with any kind of lecture. He was about to excuse himself and go out into the corridor for a minute, but even that seemed a bit much for his aching limbs. He waited until the patient had finished speaking and then blew his nose as quietly and unobjectionably as he could.

"Ew, gross! Do you have to do that in here?"

"Sorry." Cal didn't have the energy to retaliate.

He examined the patient's knee and then went off rather slowly and shakily to organise an x-ray, but the corridors were spinning and Cal's legs were buckling. He sat down on the floor, his head hanging between his knees.

Why hadn't he just stayed at home?

* * *

Ethan was worried, if not particularly surprised, to hear the news that Cal had fainted. He'd been pushing himself too hard all day and Ethan suspected he'd worked right through his lunch break.

He blamed himself. If only he'd searched more diligently for Cal at lunchtime instead of just assuming he'd done the sensible thing for once.

Ethan hurried into the cubicle and looked at his brother. He was conscious now, but he looked terrible. His eyes were closed and he was breathing heavily through his mouth. "Caleb?"

Cal opened his eyes and looked at Ethan. "What do you want?" he said in a pathetic attempt at aggression. He started to sit up but seemed to think better of it and sank back onto the pillow, though he didn't stop glaring at Ethan.

Ethan wondered what to say. He knew only too well what would happen if he told Cal to go home.

And that was what gave Ethan the idea.

"Caleb, get off that bed and get on with your work," said Ethan. "There's obviously nothing wrong with you so stop being such a wimp."

Cal looked startled and more than a little hurt. "But I've got a cold, Ethan. I've been sneezing all day and I just fainted."

Ethan ignored a stab of guilt. "Everyone faints sometimes," he said dismissively. "Now get back to work!"

Cal sat up and glared at him. "What's wrong with you? Of course I'm not going back to work. I feel awful and I'm only going to make everyone else ill. I'm going home right now and you're not stopping me." He started coughing and had to lie down again.

Ethan made a few token protests, but soon he'd got exactly what he wanted – and he had a feeling Cal had got exactly what he wanted too.

* * *

 **I'm afraid this is the end now Cal has finally gone home, but I was thinking about continuing it. I'm just not sure how at the moment.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Guest** , thank you very much! A couple of people did ask me to continue it so I am, but I'm glad you liked the first three chapters.

 **AV Mabs** , I'm glad you enjoyed the reverse psychology! I just had a feeling that might work with Cal. And I'm not always stoic. If I'm upset, then I'm really upset! As you know haha.

 **CBloom2** , well it's not very short, but I have written another chapter and it does include what you said. Thank you for your kind review!

 **Tanith Panic** , maybe women are so tough, they don't need to be told to man up! My mum and sister are definitely the toughest people I know and I've often wished I took after them. But I'm sorry it offended you and I've changed it.

 **GiraffeGirl** , thank you for your review - I'm really happy you enjoyed it and that you found it believable.

 **Minnie4114** , it's so good to see you back, I've missed you! I'm afraid the conversation isn't very deep as Cal isn't really up to it, but it is a conversation!

 **Rose** , thank you for your review and I'm so happy you're enjoying it. I'd already written the chapter by the time I got your review, so it's not quite what you suggested, but I hope you like it.

 **TheAtomicCheesepuff** , thank you for the idea, I like it! I'm a bit worried this story has kind of come to a natural end with this chapter, but maybe it could work as a separate (though linked) story with more focus on Ethan and the other doctors?

* * *

Cal was expecting Ethan to lecture him all the way home, but his brother said very little. Cal sat with his eyes closed and hoped that either the journey or his life would be over soon.

"We're here," said Ethan.

Cal sniffed and gathered up the numerous medications and tissues on his lap, only to drop most of them as soon as he got out of the car. Ethan patiently picked them up and insisted on carrying them. The stairs seemed extra steep today and Cal kept stopping to cough or sneeze, but finally they were in the flat.

"Go to bed," said Ethan gently.

Cal had hoped being in bed would make him feel better, but he felt as exhausted and bunged-up as ever. "Why can't you just shoot me, Ethan?"

Ethan smiled. "Because I'd only miss you," he said, and left the room.

* * *

Ethan returned ten minutes later with a tray, but Cal was asleep.

He didn't look well. His forehead was still shiny with sweat and his pale cheeks contrasted sharply with his red nose. His breathing was certainly laboured, though no more so than Ethan would expect from someone with a bad cold.

Ethan put the tray on a chair, then pulled back the bedclothes and put the hot water bottle he'd filled beside Cal. Cal immediately felt its warmth and, without waking up, wrapped his arms around it. Ethan removed the decongestant that had found its way into Cal's bed and tucked him in.

Ethan quickly scribbled a note, gave his brother one last look, and went back to work.

* * *

Cal awoke slowly. At first, all he knew was that he was in bed and he was warm. Then he realised he couldn't breathe through his nose and his whole body was aching. Cal closed his eyes and groaned as the memories came back to him. He'd gone to work when he shouldn't have; he'd managed to offend half his patients; and as usual he'd needed his little brother to rescue him. His surprisingly unsympathetic little brother, though he had calmed down a bit when they'd got home.

Cal sneezed. It seemed to hurt every part of his body. He lay there and sniffed, not wanting to move, but he decided he needed a tissue and reluctantly sat up. Propped up against the tissue box was a note from Ethan. Probably a list of chores Ethan wanted him to do. Cal dropped the note on the bed and put the tissues next to his pillow so he could reach them without sitting up. Sitting up was overrated.

He left the note where he was for a while, feeling too ill to care much about anything, but eventually, curiosity won out. Ethan's writing was still far too legible for a doctor, but Cal was grateful on this occasion. Deciphering difficult handwriting wouldn't help the headache that was pounding across his forehead.

 _Cal, I had to go back to work, but I made you some cheese on toast. I'm sure it will help even if you're not hungry. There's a flask of tea too and some more tissues. I brought your new box set too in case you feel like watching it. If you need anything else, phone me and I'll pick it up on the way home. I hope you feel better soon. You'll hate me for this, but I'm glad you came home. I was worried about you. Ethan_

Cal thought the whole substance of the note could have been communicated in a couple of words, but Ethan never used a couple of words when a paragraph would do. Ethan had gone to a lot of effort, Cal realised. He still didn't quite understand why Ethan had told him to stay at the hospital and get on with his work, but Ethan had spent his whole life saying weird things.

Cal didn't want to sit up again. He definitely didn't want to eat, but he knew he needed food and Ethan would worry even more if he didn't eat it.

Maybe, for once in his life, it was time for Cal to make the effort for Ethan.

* * *

Ethan was exhausted when he got home. He hoped he wasn't coming down with Cal's cold. He didn't think there was much chance of avoiding it, but maybe he could stay healthy until Cal was back at work.

He went to Cal's room and tapped on the door.

"Come in!" said Cal. He was still nasal and rather hoarse, but he sounded more welcoming than he usually did.

Ethan saw at once that Cal's plate was empty, save for a few crumbs. "How are you?"

"Getting there," said Cal. "Would you like some tea?" He held out the flask. "I saved you some. And I didn't put a spider in it this time." He looked slightly shamefaced. "Actually I didn't put a spider in it last time either."

Ethan didn't want to take Cal's tea, but Cal's expression was almost pleading. He sat on the edge of the bed and drank it. "Thank you. That's very kind of you."

Cal seemed a bit embarrassed. "You've been kind to me, haven't you? So it's only fair I should be kind to you. Ethan… I'm sorry I was so stupid and stubborn."

Ethan resisted the urge to take Cal's temperature. He really must be ill if he was saying things like that. "It's okay. I probably did go over the top with the nagging."

"You didn't," said Cal tiredly. "I was making a mess of everything. I shouldn't have been there."

"You didn't make a mess of everything," said Ethan. "The only patient you really didn't help was yourself."

Cal's eyelids were drooping. "Maybe."

"But you're looking after yourself now," said Ethan.

"No." Cal sneezed. "You're looking after me. As usual."

Ethan gave him a tissue. "Let's call it a joint effort. An unusually successful one."

Cal blew his nose. "First time for everything, I suppose." He closed his eyes.

Ethan stayed with his brother until he was asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

_As everyone was so lovely about the first four chapters of this story, I've been extending it. It has eleven chapters at the moment, but I will write more if you still like it._

 **ETWentHome** , I'm so glad you enjoyed this story - I hope you'll still like it now I've extended it! Thank you for your lovely review.

 **Minnie4114** , I think it would take a lot for them to have a deep chat, but you never know! Yes, it was about time Cal realised Ethan was helping, wasn't it? Thank you for your review.

 **Tanith Panic** , I chose cheese and toast as Cal likes beans on toast, but I thought that would get really disgusting if Cal didn't eat it straight away! I thought cheese would last a bit longer. Thank you for your review! (And sorry, but this chapter might make you cringe.)

 **CBloom2** , thank you for the idea - I really like it and I'll be including it in the story later. Thank you for reading and reviewing the story.

 **GiraffeGirl** , I have definitely felt like that! It's a bit of a cliché, but it's so true! Thank you so much and I will keep writing about them.

 **lilangel1** , thank you for the idea - I haven't written anything like that yet, but I will include it in future chapters. Thank you for the review!

* * *

Ethan looked worriedly down at Cal. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"No," muttered Cal into the pillow.

Ethan sat down on the bed. "I could probably stay for five more minutes, but that's all." He wondered, not for the first time, if he should have taken the day off work. He knew Cal was capable of making himself a snack if he was hungry (which he hadn't been so far, though he'd eaten some breakfast at Ethan's insistence) and getting to the bathroom on his own (which he was just about able to manage, at his own insistence), but Ethan couldn't help worrying that something might go wrong if he left him on his own.

"I don't want you to stay five more minutes," said Cal grumpily. He started coughing. "Just go to work and let me be ill in peace!"

"Well, your gratitude didn't last long," said Ethan.

"Neither did your sympathy," said Cal.

Ethan sighed inwardly. "Of course I'm sympathetic, Cal. I know it's awful having a cold. Believe me, I'm not looking forward to catching it."

Cal sniffed. "I wouldn't even wish it on _you_."

"Fine. I'll go." Ethan got to his feet. Five minutes had been stretching it and it wasn't as though Cal wanted him to stay. "Try and get some sleep if you can. I'll be back at lunchtime to see how you are."

"Don't bother!" Cal said ungratefully and sneezed loudly.

"Maybe I won't!" said Ethan. He walked out of the bedroom.

"Ethan?" Cal's voice was small and pathetic.

Ethan hurried back. "Are you all right?"

"Can I have the other box of tissues?"

"The one on your bedside table?" Ethan felt his annoyance mounting. "The one that's six inches away from you?"

Cal sniffed. "Yes, that one. Hurry up or I'll have to use my hand."

Ethan sighed loudly, picked up the box, and almost threw it at Cal. "There. Now can I go to work or shall I organise a babysitter first?"

"If she's hot," said Cal. He sniffed loudly and repeatedly as he tried to get the box open. Then he gave up and used the back of his hand.

"I don't think any babysitter would find you hot at the moment," said Ethan. He took the box from Cal and opened it for him. "There you are. Now I really am going."

Cal didn't answer. He'd pulled out several tissues at once and was sniffing again as he separated them.

"I hope you feel better soon," said Ethan.

For all sorts of reasons, he really meant it.

* * *

Cal wasn't sure what the time was. He could find out if he looked at his watch, but his arms felt heavy. He thought about turning his head to the side to see if he could catch a glimpse of his alarm clock, but his head was pounding and he didn't think he could move it. He was lying on his back, his hands by his sides, and he was trying to convince himself that if he stayed very still, he might start to feel better.

It hadn't worked so far.

Cal hoped Ethan would be home soon. He wanted some more paracetamol. Ethan had left some on his bedside table, together with a glass and a jug of water, but Cal was sure that even if he did manage to sit up, he wouldn't be able to lift the jug. He hated feeling so weak and useless and having to rely on Ethan for everything, though (if he was really honest), he felt like that sometimes even when he wasn't ill.

He decided that when Ethan came back, he'd ask him for some hot lemon juice with honey. He'd avoided asking for it so far because Ethan always looked sad when he said the word honey, but Cal thought Ethan deserved to suffer a bit after leaving him to suffer for so long.

Cal didn't think he'd ever been so ill in his life, including the hangovers and chicken pox and the time he'd eaten all those berries he'd been told not to touch (and no, he still hadn't forgiven Ethan for telling their mum).

Cal started sniffing and then groaned as he realised he was going to have to blow his nose again. Lifting his arms from his sides was a real physical effort, but finally it was all done and he was lying still again and feeling worse than ever.

It didn't improve his mood when he realised he'd forgotten to look at his watch, so he still didn't know how long he would have to wait until Ethan came home.

Cal decided that if he ever got better, he was going to give up working in the ED and find the cure for the common cold. It would make him very rich so he'd be able to pay Ethan back and have as many holidays as he wanted, and he wouldn't have to feel like this ever again.


	6. Chapter 6

**ETWentHome** , maybe it is flu! I don't think Cal is as ill as he thinks he is and he did tire himself out by working out with a break yesterday, but the mildest flu and the severest colds aren't that different in terms of symptoms so maybe I'll upgrade Cal to flu. Thank you for the review!

 **CBloom2** , I think he is feeling lousy! It worries me sometimes how much I enjoy making Cal and Ethan suffer. I must be so horrible! Thank you for your review and I'm happy you enjoyed the update.

 **Tanith Panic** , thank you, that's a great compliment! Though maybe it is easier for me as Stephen King is paid to be disgusting and I'm not! There is a gross bit in this chapter too so sorry in advance if you don't like it.

 **AVMabs** , I never thought of asking my sister to get me stuff when I was ill. Looks like I missed a trick there! The only time she ever came into my room to ask if I needed anything just happened to be the time I sneaked my boyfriend into my bedroom. We were just cuddling as I was underage (and genuinely ill), but my parents weren't very impressed. Thank you for the review - I'm really pleased you sympathise with both brothers as it's difficult for Ethan too.

* * *

Ethan had hoped being at work would help take his mind off Cal's grumpiness and ingratitude, but it didn't work out that way. His first patient was a whiny little boy of six called Caleb. He was being comforted by his mother, who looked close to tears herself. "Are you a doctor? Finally! We've been waiting for ages. My little boy's stuck an acorn up his nose."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Ethan. "Come with me and I'll see what I can do." He smiled at the little boy, who was crying noisily. "Hello, Caleb. My name's Ethan. I'm a doctor."

Caleb looked at him suspiciously and sniffed.

"I told you, Caleb. Don't sniff!" his mother said anxiously. "The acorn will go right up into your brain!"

"I forgot!" said Caleb, looking terrified, and Ethan hastened to reassure him.

"It's all right, Caleb. It's not going to end up in your brain. It is better if you don't sniff, but it's difficult not to sometimes, isn't it? Can you breathe through your mouth for me?"

Caleb demonstrated as noisily as possible. Ethan was relieved to note he was breathing easily, if over-enthusiastically.

"That's very good," said Ethan as he showed them to a cubicle. "Keep doing that. My brother's called Caleb. He's a doctor too, but he's not here today because he has a bad cold."

Caleb regarded Ethan with big, tearful eyes. "Does he have something green stuck up his nose too?"

"Yes, most probably," said Ethan with a smile. "But he won't need me to help him get it out. Can you get up on the bed for me, please, Caleb? That's right. I'll just have a look at this acorn for you. Oh yes, I can see it. Have you tried blowing it out?"

Caleb shook his head, still crying.

"Let's try then. It's quite fun," said Ethan, who'd personally never done it. He held a tissue to the acorn-infested nostril and pinched the other one closed. "Now blow as hard as you can. And again? That's very good, but I think we need to try something else. What I'm going to do is get something called a forceps and then I'll be able to take it out for you and then you'll be fine. I won't be long."

He patted Caleb on the shoulder and went off to get the forceps. When he returned, Caleb had stopped crying, but Ethan knew the determinedly brave look on his face was just a façade. He'd seen it on the other Caleb's face too, though not recently. Over the past twenty-one hours, Cal had gone from refusing to admit he was ill to embracing the concept to its fullest extent.

"Here you are, Caleb," said Ethan. "Not long now."

"Will it hurt?" asked Caleb fearfully as he looked at the forceps. "You're not going to cut my nose off, are you?"

"No, don't worry," said Ethan. "I know it looks like a little pair of scissors, but it's not really. It might feel a little bit uncomfortable, but probably no more uncomfortable than having an acorn up your nose. In any case, it shouldn't take long."

"I hope not," said Caleb. "I've got a date later."

"A date!?" said Ethan. He was sure that even his Caleb wasn't dating at that age.

"A playdate," explained his mother.

"With Taylor from school," said Caleb proudly. "She's beautiful and all the boys love her, but she likes me best."

"I'm sure she'll be very impressed when she hears how brave you were at the hospital," said Ethan.

Caleb nodded and said confidingly: "I bought her a ring and I was going to ask her to marry me, but my mum made me take it back because I got the money from my brother's money box."

Ethan helped Caleb to tilt his head back. "Maybe if you save up, you'll be able to buy her a ring with your own money."

"I didn't think my brother would mind," said Caleb, clearly still aggrieved.

"Brothers mind all sorts of things you might not expect," said Ethan. "My brother doesn't like it when I ask him to do the shopping or help with the housework. Now, can you stay really still and quiet for a minute?"

Caleb looked doubtful. "I'm not very good at being still and quiet. Is your brother good at being still and quiet?"

"No, not at all," said Ethan. "And he's much older than you. But I'm sure you'll be a better patient than he is."

Caleb was obviously frightened and didn't object when his mother took hold of his hand, but he managed to stay still and quiet. Ethan slowly and carefully removed the acorn.

"There you are. Well done, Caleb. You were very brave," said Ethan. He was impressed. Although children were always encouraged to be as still and quiet as possible, few managed it and some required sedation. He had another look at Caleb's nose and wiped it carefully before speaking to his mother. "There might be some residual discharge from the nose, but there's no need to worry unless this continues for several days. I recommend booking an appointment with Caleb's GP for about five days' time, but if there is any significant discharge or discomfort in the meantime, you can bring him back here."

"I like it here," said Caleb thoughtfully. "I'm going to be a doctor when I grow up. Maybe I'll do doctoring on my brother next time I hit him."

"You don't get on with your brother then?" said Ethan.

Caleb shook his head emphatically. "No! He's annoying. Do you get on with your brother?"

"Not all the time," admitted Ethan. "He can be annoying too."

"Have you ever hit him?"

Ethan wondered how to answer that. "Yes, but that doesn't mean it's okay to hit your brother. Brothers can be the most annoying people in the world, but they're still our brothers and we've got to put up with them."

"Hm." Caleb's little forehead was wrinkled, but he seemed to understand what Ethan was saying. "Do you know anything about girls?"

"Not really," said Ethan. "That's more my brother's department."

"What can I buy Taylor instead of the ring?"

"That depends on your budget… I mean on what's in your money box," said Ethan.

Caleb sighed. "Nothing. I did have two whole pounds, but I gave it to Taylor for her sponsored skipping for starving children, which she hasn't even done yet. And I owe my brother loads. At least £2.50."

"I'll tell you what," said Ethan. "I'm going to give you a chocolate bar for being brave and I'll give you another one for Taylor and another one for your brother. How does that sound?"

"Brilliant!" said Caleb happily. He caught his mother's eye. "I mean, thank you very much, Ethan."

"Dr Hardy," corrected his mother.

"Oh no, Ethan's fine," said Ethan.

Caleb gave his mother a triumphant look. "You see? I wasn't being rude. Ethan said it was okay." He turned back to Ethan. "I don't think my brother deserves any chocolate, but he might let me off some of the money I owe him if I give him a present."


	7. Chapter 7

**Tanith Panic** , thank you, that's really kind of you! Let's hope little Taylor isn't as bad as she seems. You gave me an interesting idea too - maybe Caleb junior really is Cal's son! That storyline wouldn't belong in this story, but it wouldn't surprise me if Cal had a child somewhere. Thank you for the review!

 **ETWentHome** , yes, if history repeats itself, poor little Caleb is in for a few shocks! Ethan must have found it freaky too. I really needed write an extra scene for Ethan and that was all I could think of so I'm happy you think it's cool. Thank you for the review!

 **Cactus-Creations** , thank you for the review! I'm really happy it made you laugh. Ethan's brilliant with children so I enjoyed writing this scene.

 **CBloom2** , I love Ethan too! If I ever end up in the ED, I want Ethan to treat me! Thank you for the review and I'm really happy you liked this chapter.

* * *

Cal wasn't quite sure how he was still alive. He took in another wheezy breath and coughed and spluttered some more. It usually annoyed him when patients thought their condition was a lot more serious than it was, but he was starting to have trouble believing this was just a cold. He was shivering hard and the only reason he didn't get his dressing gown was because he was convinced getting out of bed would finish him off completely.

At last the coughing died down, but then Cal realised he had another problem. He'd already drunk the entire contents of the flask Ethan had left for him, along with half the jug of water, and soon he really wouldn't have a choice about leaving his bed. He put it off for as long as he could, hoping Ethan would come home in time to help him as far as the bathroom door (Cal might be dying, but he still had his dignity), but time passed and Ethan didn't appear, and when Cal finally found the strength to look at his watch, he realised Ethan wouldn't be home for another hour.

Cal muttered to himself about what an inconsiderate brother he had and hauled himself into a sitting position. This made his head throb and he had to close his eyes for a few moments before. The bedroom was freezing and Cal decided that was Ethan's fault too. Ethan had said there was no need to put the heating on, but he obviously didn't know what he was talking about.

Cal scanned the floor, hoping to spot his dressing gown, but it was nowhere to be seen. He staggered into the bathroom, still shivering, and for perhaps the first time in his life, he wished he was a girl so he could do the next part sitting down. But he managed to get through it without collapsing and soon he was dragging himself back to his bedroom, sniffing hard because he'd forgotten to take any tissues with him. He could have used toilet paper, but Ethan had bought what Cal considered to be the wrong stuff again and there was no way Cal was using that if there was any alternative.

Once Cal had attended to his runny nose, he sat on his bedroom floor and had another look for the dressing gown, but it definitely wasn't there. In fact, the whole floor seemed a lot emptier than it usually did. Clearly, Ethan had decided to do some tidying up, which meant that nothing was where it was meant to be: i.e. on the floor. Cal sighed heavily and immediately started coughing again. He'd have to have a word with Ethan when he got home, but only once he'd got Ethan to help him back into bed because he couldn't imagine being able to do it on his own.

Cal sneezed. The violence of it jerked his head first backwards towards the bed and then forward so it hung between his knees. His whole body felt heavy and even sitting seemed a step too far for him at the moment. He flopped onto his side and closed his eyes. He still felt shivery, but he was also very tired. If he was lucky, he might get the sleep his cold had denied him last night.

If he could stay asleep until Ethan got home – or better yet until his cold was completely gone – that would suit him very well.

* * *

Ethan was tired. His latest patient had proved very trying, not least because she'd made a lot of suggestive comments which Ethan thought must have been aimed at Lofty, who was assisting him. Ethan knew he couldn't take a proper break, but he decided there was time to go to the staff room for a glass of water. His throat felt slightly sore and he really hoped that was from talking rather than the early signs of catching Cal's cold.

He walked, zombie-like, into the staff room and crashed into Lily.

"Watch where you're going!" she exclaimed, rubbing her arm.

"I'm sorry, Lily. I didn't see you," said Ethan.

Lily glared at him. "I might be small, but I'm not invisible."

"I know," said Ethan, and tried to suppress a yawn. "Sorry."

Lily stepped closer and peered into his face. "Ethan, what's wrong with you? Did you get any sleep last night? Was Cal drunk again?"

Ethan almost smiled when he remembered Cal's groaning response to a text invitation to go to the pub. "No, he wasn't drunk, but he's not very well. Didn't you hear? He fainted at work yesterday."

"I have no interest in gossip," said Lily. She took Ethan's arm firmly and led him to a chair. "Did you stay awake all night looking after him?"

"Not all night," said Ethan. "But he did text me a couple of times when he needed something."

"A couple of times?" said Lily.

"I didn't keep an exact tally," said Ethan. He thought it was in the region of five or six, but he decided not to tell Lily. "He has a very bad cold and he exhausted himself trying to work yesterday."

"And now you've exhausted _your_ self by pandering to his every whim last night and trying to work today!" said Lily. "I'll get you some coffee to see you through until lunchtime. Then you can have a nap after your lunch."

Ethan closed his eyes. He didn't need a full shift today – not that he had any choice in the matter – but he also didn't need Lily telling him when to take a nap. "I haven't got time for a coffee and I'm going to check on Cal at lunchtime."

"You're having a coffee whether you like it or not," said Lily severely. "And it will do that brother of yours good to look after himself for a change."

Ethan yawned again and pushed his glasses up so he could rub his eyes. "Okay, I'll have some coffee – that's very kind of you, Lily: thank you - but it's not Cal's fault I'm tired. He did wake me up a few times, but I was reading a very interesting article about the connection between fibromyalgia and sarcoidosis and I didn't get to sleep until quite late."

"I don't know why there are so many male doctors," said Lily. "You don't take responsibility for your own health so how can anyone trust you to take responsibility for other people's?"

"I think all doctors tend to put other people's health before their own," said Ethan. "I seem to remember you had to be forcibly encouraged to take a day off when you fainted too."

Lily glowered at him. "We're not talking about me."

"You're right: I'm sorry," said Ethan. He was too tired to get into an argument with Lily. He would be alert when he was with his patients because that was his job, but now he was on a break, even an unofficial one, all he wanted to do was rest.


	8. Chapter 8

**ETWentHome** , he does feel dreadful, poor Cal! And I'm not sure he'll be feeling any better at the end of the chapter. Thank you for the review and for being such a supportive reader.

 **CBloom2** , all I'll say is the chances of Ethan avoiding the virus are probably quite small! Thank you for your kind words and for all your reviews.

 **Tanith Panic** , thank you, that's really kind of you! I'm glad Lily was convincing. She does mean well, but she is very bossy - for all Cal's dissatisfaction with Ethan, he'd probably prefer him to Lily.

* * *

Cal awoke. His body was aching and his bed seemed hard, but that wasn't a particularly unusual occurrence. Sometimes he was too drunk to drive home and if, for one reason or another, there wasn't a girl whose bed he could share, he often ended up sleeping on someone's floor.

Then he realised he couldn't breathe and it all came flooding back to him. He'd been looking for his dressing gown, which Ethan had hidden. But he was too tired and too ill to get back into bed, so he was lying on the floor until Ethan got home.

Cal sat up slowly, wincing as he realised his neck was stiff and cramped from sleeping on the floor. It was still freezing (there was definitely something wrong with the heating, whatever Ethan said) and he knew the sensible thing would be to get into bed, but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to manage it.

He managed to turn himself around, but this made him feel so dizzy, he had to close his eyes and rest his head on the bed, breathing heavily through his mouth. He considered staying there until Ethan got home, but then his nose started to run and he had to sit up and look for a tissue. He found one on the floor which he'd obviously slept on as it was crushed almost flat, but it did the job.

He dropped his head back on to the bed with a whimper (it was okay to do things like that when no-one was listening), but he knew he needed to be in bed and getting into bed wasn't usually something Caleb Knight struggled with. He liked to flatter himself that he'd got into a lot more beds than most people. So there was no reason why he couldn't get into his own bed. He couldn't breathe and he didn't seem to have any strength in his legs, but he didn't want to let a little thing like that stop him.

Cal placed his hands and forearms on the bed and pushed downwards, but all that did was increase the ache in his arms and make him cough. When his coughs had finally subsided, he told himself it was all Ethan's fault for hiding his dressing gown. If it had been on the floor where it was supposed to be, he'd never have had to crawl round looking for it. He resolved to have a very stern word with Ethan once he finally came home.

Feeling annoyed with Ethan often did make Cal feel a bit stronger, and so it proved on this occasion. He pushed his hands into the bed and his feet into the floor and soon he was standing. He climbed into bed and wrapped himself in the duvet. He realised he was sharing the bed with several used tissues, which was as uncomfortable as it was disgusting, but after a while, he felt strong enough to collect them all up and drop them in the waste paper basket. One of the few good things Ethan had done today was to move the bin next to the bed so Cal wouldn't have to wear himself out throwing his tissues away.

Cal lay on his back and thought about going back to sleep, but his body refused to obey. He checked the time and was quite surprised to discover it really was as late as he'd thought it was. He picked up his phone, took a quick break to have a coughing fit, and then dialled Ethan's number.

"Hi Cal, are you okay?" said Ethan. His voice sounded odd. Cal guessed that his cold was now affecting his hearing, on top of everything else.

"No, I'm not okay," said Cal. "And you're late."

"I'm sorry: I got caught up with an emergency," said Ethan. "But I'm coming home now. Is there anything you'd like me to bring for you?"

"How about a decongestant that actually works?" said Cal. "I think my Eustachian tubes are bunged up now. I can hardly hear you."

"You know the symptoms should go away on their own," said Ethan. "But I'm going to stop off at the pharmacy for paracetamol and tissues, so I'll look at the decongestants too. I shouldn't be too long."

Cal held the phone away from him so he could sneeze. "And you need to turn the heating up when you get here. I'm freezing."

"Have you got your dressing gown on?" said Ethan.

"No," Cal said grumpily. "You hid it."

Ethan sighed. "Of course I didn't hide it. I found it all screwed up on the floor so I put it on your chair for you."

Cal looked over at the chair. "What did you want to do a stupid thing like that for? How am I supposed to find anything if you keep moving my stuff? I spent ages crawling around on the floor looking for it and then I had to sleep on the floor because I was too weak to get back into-"

He stopped as he heard Ethan cry out. There was a crash.

"Ethan? Ethan, are you okay?" Cal realised the call was disconnected and quickly redialled.

It went straight to voicemail.

* * *

Ethan dropped the phone and put his arms out in an effort to catch himself, but the banister was too far away and all he could do was keep rolling over and over. He heard panicked cries of his name and felt pain as first one, then another part of his body was battered by his descent.

He was falling so slowly, he thought he must be able to stop himself, but he couldn't and he realised it was time that was moving slowly, not him.

He hurt all over, as every bruise was created and then intensified as the same part of his body was struck again. On and on it went until he touched something that felt like the floor, but then his head met something hard. He heard a crack and felt a searing pain.

He saw stars at first, but then he saw nothing.


	9. Chapter 9

_Thank you so much for all the reviews I've received - it really was overwhelming and it made me feel so happy. I promised CuriousRebel I'd try to update this a day early so here it is._

 **Becs2202** , thank you for the review. Yes, it's definitely time Cal did something to help his brother and he's probably not quite as sick as he thinks he is. But whether he will help or not... read on and you'll find out!

 **Teeloganroryflan** , I'm sorry for making you fall off the seat. First Ethan, now you... accidents just seem to happen whenever I'm near. Thank you for the review and it's always lovely when someone is eager for an update!

 **ETWentHome** , Cal is feeling awful, but I think there's a good chance Ethan is as well! I had to leave it there because I'd reached my word limit for the chapter. That really is the only reason. (Or maybe not.) Thank you for the review!

 **AVMabs** , I'm sorry for making you jump. I hope you didn't injure yourself too. I seem to be injuring my readers as well as my characters in this story! Ethan was actually still at the hospital when he fell (sorry for not making that clear) so I'm sure someone has noticed by now. Thank you for the review!

 **GillianKearneyFan** , thank you for the review and I'm really happy you're sympathising with both of them. Yes, it seems like they both need looking after now - I wonder how that's going to work out!

 **CuriousRebel** , thank you so much for both your reviews. I'm sorry it took me so long to update and I really hope you haven't forgotten about the story in the meantime. Oh, so I've not only injured Ethan, Teeloganroryflan and possibly AVMabs, I've also murdered you. If I'm going to get arrested for this, I hope they wait till I've finished posting the story! No, seriously, I'm absolutely thrilled you like the story and I really hope you'll continue to enjoy it.

 **CBloom2** , aw thank you so much! I'm so happy you're enjoying it. Yes, I've been cruel to Ethan again. They say you always hurt the ones you love. As for what I've done, you'll find out in this chapter. Possibly!

 **is-there-somewhere-x** , thank you for the review! I hope Ethan's okay too! It's very unlikely that I would ever be able to kill Ethan off, but I'm not averse to make him suffer occasionally.

* * *

Cal was shaking and the room was spinning dizzily around him, but that didn't stop him from running up to the reception desk. "Where's Ethan?" he demanded of Louise. When she didn't answer immediately, he slapped his hands onto the desk and raised his voice. "Just tell me where he is!"

A look of disgust came over Louise's face. "Your nose is running."

"I don't give a stuff about my nose!" said Cal, but he wiped his hand across it anyway. "Where's Ethan?"

Louise cringed. "Haven't you got a tissue?"

Cal glared at her. "I am _so_ sorry, Louise, that I was so worried about my brother, I forgot I was ill." His voice became a shout. "Just get that look off your face and tell me-" He stopped as he was overwhelmed by coughs.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and heard a kind but firm voice. "Come on, Cal. Come with me."

He turned to see Rita. "Do you know where Ethan is?" he asked between splutters.

"He's with Mrs Beauchamp, so he's being well looked-after," said Rita reassuringly. "Now, Cal, I'd like you to come with me to the staff room. Okay?"

Cal found he was walking with her without having made the conscious decision. "Why can't you take me to Ethan?"

"Because I need you to calm down first," said Rita. "I can't let you see Ethan in this state. It will only worry him."

Cal had to admit this was true. "Just tell me he's all right!" he begged between sniffs. "I drove here as fast as I could."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," said Rita soothingly as she guided him into the staff room. "There. You sit down and I'll find you some tissues."

"I did bring some," said Cal in a slightly calmer voice. "But I left them in the car."

"That's okay. You had other things on your mind, didn't you?" said Rita. She found a box and gave it to Cal. "Would you like a drink?"

Cal wiped his nose. "Please just tell me about Ethan."

Rita stroked his arm. "Okay. Ethan's had a little tumble down the stairs."

"Oh God!" Cal jumped to his feet and knocking his tissues to the floor.

Rita put her hands firmly on his shoulders and pushed him back down into the chair. Usually, she couldn't have done it, but between his illness and his worry, Cal had little strength to resist. "It's okay, Cal." Rita put the tissues back on his lap. "He doesn't seem to be seriously injured. He was walking downstairs talking on the phone so he probably wasn't paying proper attention and missed his footing."

Cal made a sound of distress and buried his face in his hands.

Rita put her arm around him. "Cal, didn't you hear me? We don't think it's anything serious. Try not to worry, sweetheart. He's in very good hands with Mrs Beauchamp."

"But it's my fault!" said Cal into his hands. "I was the one who phoned him. He was talking to me and then I heard him cry out and then the phone went dead. I came as quickly as I could."

"Of course it wasn't your fault!" said Rita firmly. "Look at me, Cal. I need you to look at me, okay?"

Cal wiped his nose again, then sat up and looked at Rita.

"Now listen to me." Rita spoke slowly and clearly. "It wasn't your fault, Cal. I've walked down those stairs on the phone a million times. Everyone has. Ethan was just unlucky."

"But he was talking to _me_ ," said Cal.

Rita shook her head. "That doesn't make it your fault. You mustn't blame yourself. Now, are you sure you don't want a cup of tea? I don't think Ethan will be out from his scan for a little while so you've got time."

"Scan?" said Cal. Panic seized him and he grasped Rita's arm none too gently. "He's having a scan?"

"It's just a precaution," said Rita. "He hit his head on the bottom of the banister and it knocked him out so Mrs Beauchamp is just making sure he's-"

She stopped as Cal picked up his tissues and got to his feet again. He took a shaky step towards the door, but he was hit with a wave of dizziness and the staff room began to blur out of focus.

He felt Rita's arm going firmly around his waist. "No, Cal, come back and sit down. You're not very well and you've had a shock so you mustn't go rushing off like that."

She helped Cal back to his seat. The mist around him cleared, but he felt as wretched as ever. "Why won't anyone tell me anything?"

"Because we don't know very much, sweetheart," said Rita gently. "I didn't see it happen and neither did Louise."

Cal took a shaky breath. "You know more than you're telling me. I know you are. Please tell me the truth or I'll just keep imagining worse and worse things. I know some head injuries are very minor, even if someone gets knocked out, but I'm a doctor, Rita. I know all the bad things it might be and all the worst case scenarios. And I know everything Mrs Beauchamp needs to do to make sure he's all right and I'm sure she's doing them because she is a good doctor, but I can't see her doing them, so what if she's not? What if he's dead and no-one's told me?"

Rita enfolded him in a warm hug. "Now you're just being silly, Cal," she said as she patted him on the back. I know Ethan's your brother and it's natural to be worried, and everything's harder to cope with when you're not very well. But take it from me. We're not seriously worried about him. If Ethan was seriously hurt, I'm sure they would have called you right away. But no-one has, have they?"

Cal felt himself relax just slightly as he heard the truth in her words. He held on to her for a bit longer, then he sat back. "You're right. Sorry, Rita. I was just... panicking, I suppose."

Rita patted his arm. "It's all right. Anyone in your position would be worried. Now, can I trust you to stay here and not go running off looking for Ethan while I get you some tea?"

Cal nodded. His head was pounding, probably because he was due for a paracetamol, and he still felt weak and dizzy. He closed his eyes, leaning back into the chair and tried to calm himself down. Ethan would be worried enough that Cal had left his sickbed. He didn't want his brother to see him panicking too.


	10. Chapter 10

**Curious Rebel** , no, it's not weird to be happy I updated early! It's just really, really flattering. A bit scary because I'd be gutted if I ever disappointed you, but completely amazing. Thank you for saying you liked how I wrote Rita. I love her comforting, calming presence, but it's not easy to write as so much of it is in her face and voice. Thank you for all your lovely words!

 **Tanith Panic** , haha I'm glad Cal got away with it this time! I love it when they come through for each other too and I'm glad you think it's natural for Cal to panic. Thank you for your review!

 **Tato Potato** , thank you very much! I really love their relationship too - as you might have guessed from the number of stories I've written about them. Thank you for the review.

 **CBloom2** , I'm sorry you felt it was too excessive. The story is leaning slightly in a comedic direction and there is a lot of exaggeration, but it's very easy (for me) in those circumstances to go over the top. I'm very pleased and grateful that it hasn't put you off reading my other stories.

 **ETWentHome** , I don't know how well it worked in this chapter, but I always love it when Cal's instinct is to protect Ethan, even when they're not getting on. Like in The King's Crossing (I think) when the wall exploded and Cal shielded Ethan and made sure he was okay before running off after Taylor. Thank you for the review!

 **Julia** , thank you so much for reviewing another of my fics - assuming you are the same Julia! If not, thank you for the review and it's really great to have another reader. I'm really happy you liked Cal's reaction to Ethan's accident and that you liked the way I wrote Rita.

 **Becs2202** , I agree, Cal is very sweet when he's worried! It's one of many things I love about him. I'm glad you think they're a funny pair - I often think that when I watch them. Thank you for the review.

And I really should have said this before, but thank you very much to **TheAtomicCheesepuff** , who gave me the following suggestion: _Ethan has an accident at work and Cal wants to help but can't because he's ill_. If you're still reading, I really hope you like what I've done with the idea.

* * *

Ethan could hear voices. He thought he recognised them and occasionally there was a word or two that made sense, but he had a splitting headache and he wasn't sure he wanted to do anything except go back to sleep.

But it was a bit odd that both the voices seemed to be female. He didn't think there should be any girls in his bedroom. Certainly not more than one of them.

Ethan dragged his eyes open. The light hurt his eyes and he quickly shut them again.

"Ethan, can you hear me?" That was Connie.

Hold on, that was definitely wrong. Even if there was a girl in his bedroom, it wouldn't be _Connie_. Ethan might have laughed if he hadn't been in so much pain.

Someone took hold of Ethan's hand. "Ethan, if you can hear me, can you squeeze my hand?"

Ethan wasn't sure if he recognised that voice or not, but he did quite like having his hand held. He squeezed obediently and the girl squeezed back.

"Any response?" said the other girl, who still sounded like Connie.

"Yes: he squeezed my hand."

"And he's smiling too. Ethan, we know you're awake so perhaps you could deign to open your eyes now. And keep them open."

Ethan had a feeling he was being told off. He opened his eyes and discovered he wasn't wearing his glasses. He couldn't see very much at all, but he was definitely in bed and there was definitely a girl on each side of him. Their faces were a complete blur, but the one on the left was wearing pale blue and had lots of red hair. The one on the right was wearing white and had long, dark hair.

"What are you doing in my bedroom?" he asked sleepily. Concerned he might have sounded rude, he added: "Not that you aren't very welcome."

But then something clicked in his mind. Girls in his room. Bad headache. It had never happened to Ethan before, but he'd seen it happen to Cal enough times.

"Did we all get drunk together?" he asked.

The red-haired girl began to giggle. "He's been hit on the head and now he thinks he's Cal!"

"If there was any scientific basis to that, I would have pushed Dr Knight down the stairs months ago," said the brunette.

Ethan's head was throbbing. He put a hand to his forehead and felt a bandage. Underneath the bandage was a lump.

It probably wasn't a hangover then. He was quite relieved about that. "Um, excuse me. I'm terribly sorry to interrupt your plans to injure my brother, but could I possibly have some pain relief?"

* * *

"Here you are." Rita handed Cal a mug of tea. He cupped his hands around it, slightly comforted by the warmth. "How are you doing?"

Cal gave her a wan smile. "Well, the good news is that driving over here in a panic has caught up with me a bit and I don't really feel well enough to go running all over the hospital in search of Ethan."

Rita smiled. "I'm not sure I'd call it good news that you don't feel well, but I am glad you're not going to do anything silly." She looked at him sympathetically and stroked his arm. "But it sounds like there's bad news too… would you like to tell me about it?"

Cal did want to, but he shook his head. "I'm fine."

"Okay," said Rita. "I'm here if you change your mind."

Cal nodded and resolved not to say anything, but then the words burst out of him. "I just hate feeling this helpless! Treating Ethan after that car crash is one of the hardest things I've ever done. It was a difficult procedure anyway, but knowing it was my brother and having to fight against my emotions made it even tougher. But at least there was something I could do. At least I could help him and be with him. But now..."

"Now you've got nothing to focus on," said Rita understandingly. "It's tough being a frightened relative, especially when you're not well. But you're strong, Cal."

"No, I'm not. Ethan's the strong one."

"You're both strong," said Rita. "And you're going to get through this, and then you'll see Ethan and I'm sure there will be something you can do to make him feel better, even if it's just talking to him without starting an argument."

Cal laughed shakily.

"That's better," said Rita. "Now finish your tea and then I'll go and find out where Ethan is."

* * *

Ethan had always told himself he was a much better patient than Cal, but now he was starting to wonder. Now he'd had some pain relief, he was starting to feel a bit better and he didn't doubt the pain would be completely gone within half an hour, but Connie had told him he should rest for a couple of hours and Ethan didn't like that idea at all.

"I'm sure that's not necessary," he said. "I need to go home anyway. I need to make Cal some lunch."

"I'm sure even Caleb Knight is capable of making his own lunch," said Connie.

"I'm not sure he is at the moment," said Ethan anxiously. "And if he tried, he'd probably burn himself or drop the toaster on his foot."

Connie shrugged. "Caleb is perfectly capable of treating a burn and a bruised foot."

"Could I go back to work?" said Ethan, thinking he could slip off home when nobody was looking, but Connie gave him a glare so ferocious, he considered hiding under the bedclothes.

"The fact that you're even asking that question proves you're not fit for work."

Ethan was sure there was a gap in Connie's logic somewhere, but his head was aching just enough to make searching for the flaw inadvisable. "If I'm that badly injured, maybe I should go home," he said.

"Certainly not," said Connie. "I don't want you spending any more time with Caleb than you can help. Besides, I'm hoping you'll be fit to work in two to three hours. Now I need to go and do some proper work. Robyn, I'll be back in half an hour. If Ethan shows any signs of concussion, please let me know."

"I'm sure I'm not concussed," said Ethan earnestly. "I remember what happened. I was talking on the phone to Cal and I tripped over my feet."

Connie sighed. "How is it your brother contrives to cause even more havoc when he isn't here than when he is?"

"Perhaps because this hospital can't function without me," said a slightly nasal but still very much recognisable voice from the doorway.


	11. Chapter 11

**ETWentHome** , thank you for the review. I'm glad you liked Cal's little talk with Rita - I enjoyed writing it. I couldn't injure Ethan too severely as Cal is so incompetent at the moment, but who knows what I might do to him in a future story!

 **TheAtomicCheesepuff** , don't worry, I'm just relieved you're not offended I didn't credit you before! I'm really happy you're still reading the story and that you like my interpretation of your ideas. Thank you for your review!

 **Becs2202** , I'm happy you found confused Ethan amusing - I was a bit worried that even a knock on the head couldn't make Ethan say things like that! Thank you for your review and I'm really glad you liked the chapter.

 **CBloom2** , I'm sorry if I misinterpreted you - it can be difficult with the written word sometimes - but I knew you weren't being unkind. I hope my last reply didn't hurt your feelings. I'm glad you like over-protective Cal as you might be seeing him again! Thank you so much for your review.

 **Tanith Panic** , thank you for the review! I'm glad you liked the ending - if there is a high point, that's arguably the best place for it. I love writing about Cal. He's very intelligent, but he doesn't always remember to switch his brain on.

 **Tato Potato** , thank you very much for your lovely review. You're an absolutely amazing reviewer!

* * *

Cal didn't wait for Connie's answer. He'd just caught sight of Ethan. He ran unsteadily over to the bed and started to ask Ethan if he was okay, but he didn't get very far before he started coughing.

"Caleb, if you must cough, please try not to do it all over your brother," said Connie. "He might not be any use to us now, but we're hoping he'll be back at work in a couple of hours."

"Are you okay?" Cal didn't have his torch, but he leaned close and tried to see into Ethan's eyes.

"And don't breathe on him either!" said Connie. "I might not be a registrar like you, Dr Knight, but I can assure you I do know what I'm doing. Your brother is showing no signs of concussion, but he's going to remain under observation for the next couple of hours."

Cal reluctantly put some distance between himself and his brother. "You are okay, Ethan, aren't you?"

"Probably a good deal more healthy than you," said Ethan. "You really shouldn't have come, you know." He smiled. "But I'm pleased you did."

"Of course I did!" said Cal. "Do you have any idea what it's like, listening to your brother fall down the stairs?"

"Actually, yes," said Ethan.

Cal didn't remember the incident in question, but he did remember the pain he'd been in afterwards. He was about to tell Ethan how worried he'd been, but then he remembered Connie, Robyn and Rita were all listening. Rita had heard it all before, of course, but that did not mean Cal was happy to give her a repeat performance. "So I'm sure you'll understand why I wanted to make sure this lot were doing their job properly."

"' _Us lot'_ were managing perfectly well until you interrupted us," said Connie.

"And I'm fine," said Ethan quickly. "I've got a bit of a headache, but I've been given pain relief and I can remember everything that happened so I'm almost certainly not concussed."

Cal felt terrible, and not just in the sense of feeling ill. He felt guilty as well. If he hadn't phoned Ethan; if he'd waited patiently for Ethan to come home… He took a step closer to Ethan and sneezed.

"And definitely don't sneeze on him!" said Connie. "For a doctor, you seem to have a very limited knowledge of how not to spread germs."

Cal sniffed and pulled one of the tissues Rita had given him out of his pocket. "I'll just be a minute." He went out into the corridor to blow his nose and spend a bit of time recovering from the exertion of going out into the corridor.

"Now, what is the point of going out there to blow your nose?" said Connie when he came back. "We heard the whole performance anyway. Either go away properly or stay in here!"

"It wasn't even loud," muttered Cal. He pressed his hand to his forehead. He knew it probably wasn't aching as much as Ethan's, but it must be close. "Are you a bat or something?"

Ethan cringed. Robyn had to go out of the cubicle to have hysterics, which Cal had to admit were very audible even though she was clearly trying to stifle them. Rita looked like she was close to smiling. But Connie didn't seem very amused. "What was that you called me, Dr Knight?"

"I can't remember," said Cal truthfully. He felt terrible and wasn't completely convinced he wasn't going to die.

"I think Cal just meant that your hearing is exceptionally good, like a bat's hearing," said Ethan. "I'm sure he didn't mean to imply that you're an old bat. Or that he wants you to swing from the rafters."

"I should hope not," said Connie, sending a glare in Robyn's direction as she sheepishly came back in.

Cal was barely listening. All he wanted was get into bed with Ethan. In a completely non-incestuous way.

"Sit on the bed if you like," said Ethan, and made a bit of space for him.

Cal started to do as he was told, but Connie's voice stopped him.

"You may like, but I don't," said Connie. "If you're feeling that ill, Caleb, go home."

Cal was inclined to think this wasn't a bad idea, but there was something he wanted to say first and if he had to say it in front of half his colleagues, then he would. "Ethan… it was my fault you fell. I'm sorry."

"You _must_ be feeling ill!" said Ethan, but then he seemed to realise how worried Cal was and spoke more gently. "Of course it wasn't your fault. Now please go home. I am glad you came, but if you make yourself more ill, it'll be _my_ fault."

Cal shook his head. "It won't be your fault."

"Perhaps not, but you'll still blame me," said Ethan. He sounded almost affectionate.

"Probably," said Cal with a weak smile. He turned to Robyn. "You look after him for me, okay? Because I'm barely in any state to look after myself."

"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on him," said Robyn. "He won't even be able to go to the loo without me seeing him... um, obviously, I didn't mean literally seeing him go to the loo..."

" _Figuratively_ ," said Ethan. "Literally would be seeing me make the journey. Figuratively would be actually seeing me..." Ethan stopped and went a bit red.

Cal smiled. "He's getting back to his old self already." He said goodbye to his brother and slowly made his way out of the room.

"Want to come back to the staff room for a cup of tea and a lie-down before you go?" said Rita. She gave him a stern look. "And when I say a lie-down, I don't mean both of us!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Becs2202** , thank you for your review. I'm glad you liked the chapter. I love Cal and Ethan too!

 **Tanith Panic** , I think Cal has been unlucky to get so many tellings-off - most people who object to cold symptoms in public will content themselves with a dirty look! But that's not nearly as much fun to write. Thank you for the review!

 **CBloom2** , I love seeing Cal all protective of Ethan too. I just hope we'll see a bit of that next Saturday! Thank you for the review.

 **Tato Potato** , thank you so much! It's really good to know the jokes are working. I really wasn't sure about the bat joke so I'm glad you liked it.

 **Matilda W** , I haven't written Freechamp before, but I like the idea and I'll have a go! Thank you so much for your review and your kind comments about my writing.

 **is-there-somewhere-x** , thank you for your lovely review. I'm so happy you enjoyed it. I'm very flattered you'd want to read it twice!

* * *

In the end, Ethan was quite glad to spend a few hours in bed. He knew the real reason why he'd fallen was because he hadn't got enough sleep last night and wasn't paying attention. But he'd never say that to Cal. He knew Cal must have been really worried about him if he'd left his sickbed to make sure Ethan was all right, and he wouldn't worry any less if he knew how tired Ethan was.

When the three hours were up, Connie told him he might as well go home. "You look exhausted. I hope you're not catching Caleb's cold."

"My throat's been a little bit sore," admitted Ethan. "But I thought maybe that was from talking."

"it's possible, though I don't think you talk nearly enough for that to be the case," said Connie. "And before your feelings get hurt, that's a compliment."

"Oh. Then thank you very much," said Ethan politely.

Connie gave him one of her looks. "It's not _that_ much of a compliment."

Ethan judged it best to say nothing at all.

"Go home, stay away from your brother as much as possible, and try to come back healthy tomorrow," said Connie.

"I'll try," promised Ethan.

But he knew it wouldn't be easy to stay away from Cal.

* * *

Cal was almost asleep when he heard the key in the door. He considered ignoring it, but only for a moment. He'd been planning this moment ever since he'd staggered into the flat three hours ago. He would get up, help Ethan into bed, make him a drink and then order a takeaway (because cooking probably was a step too far).

Despite what Ethan had said, Cal still blamed himself.

He pushed the covers aside, grabbed a couple of tissues and went to meet Ethan.

"How are you?" said Ethan. He squinted at Cal. "I'm not sure, but I think you look a bit better than you did in the hospital."

"You look better too," said Cal. He frowned slightly. "But you still don't look great. I hope you didn't drive back."

"No: Mrs Beauchamp said I had to get a taxi," said Ethan. "And without my glasses, I couldn't see well enough to find the car."

"Oh yeah… I got your spare glasses for you," said Cal. "No idea where I put them. But I'm sure I can find them again." He coughed loudly and Ethan looked concerned.

"Are you sure you should be out of bed, Cal?"

Cal sniffed. "Probably not." He put a hand on the sofa to steady himself. "How are you feeling?"

"Not too bad, considering." Ethan lifted a hand to his bandaged head and smiled tiredly.

Cal sniffed again and wiped his nose on one of his tissues. "I'm sorry. About what happened."

Ethan moved closer to him. "I told you, Cal. It wasn't your fault. You mustn't blame yourself. Sometimes accidents just happen. And it's probably a good thing they do or we'd both be out of work."

Cal gave him a weak smile. He was sure that if Ethan did blame him, he'd have made it clear. "Do you want a drink or something?" he asked. He felt his legs threatening to give way and sat on the arm of the sofa.

Ethan smiled. "I'd love one, but I don't think you're in any condition to make it. Why don't you go back to bed and I'll make a drink for us both? Then I'll phone for a takeaway."

"No, I can do it," said Cal. "You've been working all day. I've mostly been lying around doing nothing." He sneezed twice and blew his nose. "That wasn't too loud, was it?"

"No, not at all," said Ethan reassuringly, only to add: "But of course, I'm not an old bat."

Cal groaned. "I can't believe I said that! I'm usually so good at talking to women."

Ethan turned away and coughed into his hand.

"Ethan?" Cal gripped his shoulders. "Are you okay? Are you catching my cold? You'd better go to bed. I'll make the drinks. You have a good long rest and…" Cal stopped as he caught sight of Ethan's face. "You weren't coughing at all, were you? You were laughing at me."

"Sorry. But I so seldom have the chance, Caleb. I have to take the opportunities when they're there."

Cal folded his arms. "Fine. Just for that, you can make the drinks. I'm going back to bed."

"I'll go with you," said Ethan.

"No, Ethan: going to bed with your brother counts as being weird."

"I'd like to see your face if I did something normal," said Ethan as they walked to Cal's bedroom.

Cal laughed. "In my condition, a shock like that would completely finish me off." He looked at his brother and smiled thoughtfully. "I like you weird anyway. It makes me feel better about myself."

"I didn't know you needed any help with _that_ ," said Ethan.

"Okay. I'll rephrase that. It makes me feel _even_ better about myself." Cal got under the covers and then cried out in pain.

"What's wrong?" said Ethan, alarmed.

"I think I just found your spare glasses." Cal brought them out from under the covers.

Ethan put them on. "Thanks. I won't ask what they were doing out of the case and in your bed. I'll just keep quiet and go and make the tea."

Cal sat back against the pillows and sighed.

"What's wrong?" said Ethan. "Are you feeling worse?"

Cal wasn't sure if he should tell him or not. He didn't want to sound pathetic. Then he decided he was long past the stage of worrying about that. "I just had it all planned, Ethan. I was going to look after _you_."

Ethan smiled slightly and started to collect the dirty cups and glasses from Cal's bedside table. "Don't worry," said Ethan, and he sounded just a little bit hoarse. "Something tells me you will get the chance."


	13. Chapter 13

**ETWentHome** , thank you for the review. I enjoyed writing about Cal making a mess of things and Ethan not minding - possibly a new situation for them both!

 **Teeloganroryflan** , oh yes, I couldn't let Ethan escape without catching the cold! Thank you for your review.

 **lilangel1** , thank you for the review - I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.

 **Becs2202** , aw thank you, I really am pleased it made you laugh. I hope there weren't any awkward questions about why you were giggling!

 **Tanith Panic** , I was going to say Ethan saw himself more as an escort than a bed partner, but then I realised that sounded just as bad! I'm really happy you enjoyed Cal and Ethan joking with each other - they should do it in the series too! Thank you for the review.

 **Tato Potato** , aw thank you so much! I'm really happy you enjoyed it. And I'm glad you like it when Cal thinks about Ethan because he just might do it again...

 **CBloom2** , maybe Ethan will be even more miserable than Cal! It's hard to imagine, but you never know. Thank you for the review.

 **Matilda W** , thank you so much - that really is a big compliment! I'm not sure what I'll call the Freechamp story, but I think I've only written 10 stories and the others are all Cal and Ethan so you should be able to find it on my profile. I hope to start writing it in the next few days, but it might take a bit longer before I start posting it.

* * *

Cal checked the time again, but it was still too early. Even allowing for the fact that he would probably work more slowly than usual, he didn't need to start for at least half an hour. He lay on his back and looked up at the ceiling. He wouldn't have said he felt well, but ihe wasn't feeling quite as terrible as he had been. There were times when he could almost breathe through his nose and the headache had definitely eased.

He was almost starting to feel bored. He considered getting up and going to watch some television or even getting a little bit of fresh air, but he knew too much about medicine not to fall into that trap. He was going to need a lot of energy in order to make lunch for Ethan and he didn't want to risk exhausting himself before he started.

So he would stay right here in bed until it was time to start work.

Cal closed his eyes and waited for the time to pass.

* * *

Ethan was having a difficult day. His head was still aching from yesterday and he still needed the bandage, which had prompted lots of questions and cheeky comments from the patients. He was almost relieved when it was lunchtime and time to go and check on Cal. Cal had said something about making lunch for him, but Ethan wasn't holding his breath. Cal had trouble keeping promises like that even when he was well.

Ethan got changed out of his scrubs and drove home. He went straight into the kitchen, but there was no sign either of Cal, or his lunch. Unsurprised (but in all honesty slightly disappointed), Ethan went to Cal's bedroom and knocked on the door.

No answer.

Ethan felt just the slightest hint of worry. He hoped Cal's idea of making lunch didn't include going out to buy it. Ethan really didn't think he was well enough for that.

He pushed open the door and relaxed. Cal was lying on his back, snoring loudly as his chest rose and fell. Lying on his chest was a tissue and a clock. The reason for the tissue's presence was obvious; the explanation for the clock was quite easy to guess as well.

Cal must have been waiting for the right time to start making lunch… only to fall asleep.

Ethan smiled to himself. It would have been nice to come home and find his lunch ready and waiting for him, but Cal probably wasn't quite well enough for that.

He returned the clock to Cal's bedside table and gently touched his brother's shoulder. "Sleep well," he whispered and went to make some lunch.

* * *

Cal opened his eyes. As usual, it took him a while to work out where he was (in bed) and whose bed it was (his, he thought), but all the time there was a nagging feeling that he ought to be doing something. Some promise he'd made.

A promise to a girl? Cal wasn't too sure. He'd already noticed he had a cold so he probably wasn't spending very much time with girls at the moment.

He slowly sat up and looked at the clock and noticed a plate of food beside it with a note from Ethan.

 _Cal, you were asleep so I didn't want to wake you, but I made you some lunch. It was ready at 1.05pm so it should be fine for a few hours. I hope you're feeling a bit better. I'll see you at about 6.45. Ethan_

Lunch.

Cal sighed deeply. He remembered now. He was going to make some lunch for Ethan, but he'd fallen asleep and missed his chance.

But there was always tomorrow, Cal told himself as he reached for the plate and began to eat. He actually had an appetite now. Another sign he was beginning to recover.

By tomorrow, he'd be able to make an even better lunch for Ethan.

* * *

Ethan was glad when his shift finally ended. It hadn't been a particularly difficult shift in terms of the work, but he was feeling very tired and in need of a paracetamol for his headache. His throat was sore again too.

"Any chance of your brother joining us tomorrow?" said Connie.

"I don't think so," said Ethan apologetically. He wondered how Connie so often contrived to make him feel like a naughty schoolboy when he was neither of those things. "He's still not very well. He hasn't really got out of bed apart from coming to the hospital to see me yesterday."

"It's very inconvenient having two doctors off at the same time," said Connie.

Ethan knew it wasn't his fault, but he still felt responsible. "I'm sorry, Mrs Beauchamp."

Connie looked askance. "What an earth are you sorry for? Did you make Dr Knight ill? Did you pay for Dr Keogh and that dog of his to go away together?"

"N-no," stammered Ethan.

"Then don't apologise!" said Connie in exasperation. Then she suddenly bent forward, peering into Ethan's face.

It made him feel very uncomfortable, but he didn't like to say so.

"You don't look that well yourself, Dr Hardy. Make sure you get plenty of rest and don't spend the whole evening fetching and carrying for your brother. The last thing we need is you getting ill too."

"I'll try," said Ethan huskily. But he didn't hold out much hope.

* * *

Cal wandered into the kitchen. He felt very achey and he still couldn't breathe properly, but it was nice being able to get himself a drink without having to wait for Ethan to come home. He found a mug in a cupboard (it was so annoying the way Ethan always put things away, but Cal was starting to get used to his complicated system) and switched the kettle on. Then he put some honey in the cup, poured some orange squash over it (he had to open a new bottle, but he was just about strong enough to manage it) and waited for the kettle to boil.

Finally, it did. Cal reached for the kettle and his arm knocked against something. He turned around to see the empty orange squash bottle floating in a puddle of orange.

Cal groaned. Why couldn't something just go right? He sank to the floor in despair and sat in the orange squash.


	14. Chapter 14

**Teeloganroryflan** , no, it won't help Cal at all! Cal seems to be very good at doing things that won't help him. Thank you for the review!

 **GloriaNerd** , thank you for your review - it's lovely to have a new reader. I'm happy you like the scene between Ethan and Connie. I really enjoyed writing it.

 **Tanith Panic** , I quite often do that when I make a mess of something! I'm sure Cal feels like weeping. I actually haven't seen much of Dervla in the episodes, but The Fierce Brave Gang really brought Dylan's relationship with her alive for me. Thank you for the review!

 **Becs2202** , that's true, at least he's trying! I'm just not completely sure how happy Ethan will be... Thank you for the review!

 **ETWentHome** , thank you for the review. I agree Cal will want to help Ethan if he gets ill, but he'll need to look after Ethan a lot better than he's looking after himself!

 **is-there-somewhere-x** , I'm really happy you like the image of Cal sitting in the squash and Ethan's conversation with Connie - they are my favourite parts of the chapter too. Thank you for the review!

* * *

Ethan arrived home at the end of his shift to discover Cal hard at work in the kitchen.

Well, that was one way of putting it.

Cal was sitting on the floor in a pool of orange squash, wrestling with a mop. His face was red and sweaty from exertion and he was sniffing, but he continued with his task, ignoring the tissue that was balanced on his knee. As Ethan watched, Cal sneezed violently and hit himself on the head with the mop.

Ethan told himself he absolutely must not, under any circumstances, laugh. He bent down and lightly touched Cal's forehead. The skin wasn't broken, but he would probably have a bruise later. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm not okay!" Cal sniffed loudly and looked around for something. He picked his sodden tissue out of the puddle of squash and looked ready to cry. "Why can't something just go right, Ethan?"

Ethan handed Cal a tissue from his pocket. As he was sickening for a cold, it had seemed sensible to carry several. "Everything is more difficult when you're not very well. I'm sure things will improve once you're feeling better." He held out his hand. "Come on, Cal. You'd better go back to bed. I'll deal with this."

For once, he didn't feel angry with Cal at all. At least he had given Ethan a reason to smile.

Of course, he wasn't actually going to let himself smile when Cal was clearly incapable of seeing the funny side, but he was sure he would smile once Cal was safely tucked up in bed.

Cal put his hand in Ethan's and let his brother help him up, but as soon as Ethan let go of him, Cal swayed dizzily and staggered into the bucket, which fell over, flooding the kitchen with soapy water.

"Well… you did say you felt like you were going to kick the bucket," said Ethan as he steadied Cal.

Cal glared at him. "That's not funny!"

"No. Sorry. Of course it wasn't," said Ethan. He looked at Cal. His pyjama bottoms were dripping wet. "Why don't you go and have a shower and I'll clean up."

* * *

For the next few hours, Cal was furious with Ethan for witnessing his disastrous attempt at mopping up the kitchen floor but by the morning, he was starting to see the funny side – and it wasn't as though he had any objection to letting Ethan do all the housework.

He did have a bit of a bump on his head, but at least it was bigger than the bump on Ethan's head.

"I hope you're looking forward to your lunch," said Cal when he said goodbye to Ethan.

Ethan looked significantly less enthusiastic than Cal had hoped. "You don't have to make me any lunch. I don't want you to tire yourself out. I can make us some lunch when I get home. "

Cal felt annoyed all over again. "I'm not going to tire myself out! I'm a doctor, Ethan. I know all about being tired. I knew about being tired before you were even born!"

"Okay, I'll see you later then," said Ethan, and left before Cal could finish his rant.

Cal lay in bed and tried to decide what he would make for Ethan's lunch. He realised he wasn't in any condition to make anything too ambitious, but after some deliberation, he decided to make beans on toast. It might not be the healthiest meal, but Cal was reasonably confident he could cook it without causing more trouble for Ethan.

* * *

The good news was that the bump on Ethan's head had gone down and he no longer needed the bandage.

The bad news was that he now had a different kind of headache and it almost matched the description of the headache Cal had been suffering since a day or two before his cold started.

Ethan's throat was worse as well. He'd bought some throat sweets on the way to work and they helped a bit, but he was beginning to wonder if he should buy himself something more powerful at lunchtime. He wasn't going to be able to help anyone if he couldn't talk.

He noticed Lily shooting him disapproving looks while the two of them were treating a patient in Resus and wasn't surprised when she stopped him on the way out. If Ethan looked as ill as he felt, he probably looked worse than the patient.

"Dr Hardy!" said Lily, and Ethan just knew her voice would carry all the way to reception. "Are you eating sweets?"

"It's just a throat lozenge, Lily," explained Ethan. "I have a sore throat and I really don't want it to get any worse so I-"

"…so you should save your voice and not trouble me with the full explanation," said Lily.

Ethan didn't usually let Lily bother him too much. It was just her way and she was a good doctor, which was the most important thing.

But he was ill and he couldn't help feeling a little bit hurt.

Lily, for once, seemed to pick up on this. Her face softened, though she was careful not to get too close. "Perhaps you should have a break, Ethan, if you're not feeling well. I hope you feel better soon."

"Thank you," said Ethan, grateful for her kindness. He knew Lily wouldn't have said that unless he meant it. It was a bit early for a break, but he intended to take one as soon as he could. He didn't want to be lazy, but neither did he want to exhaust himself like Cal had.

* * *

Cal took the precaution of setting his alarm so it wouldn't matter if he fell asleep. As was often the case, the precaution was unnecessary. He became so bored with lying in bed, he actually went into Ethan's room to see if he had anything interesting to read. He didn't, so Cal went back to his own room and searched through the mess till he'd found an old copy of FHM. His boredom was considerably abated when he found a picture of the blonde actress who looked exactly like Tamzin Bayle, but he soon discovered she didn't look nearly as attractive once he'd sneezed all over her.

He tried to clean it up, but he scrubbed a bit too hard and managed to tear a hole in the picture. Eventually he gave up and put it in the bin. He lay in bed and sulked until it was time to make Ethan's lunch. That was something Cal definitely didn't want to sneeze on so he took lots of tissues with him and kept one in his hand as he took bread from the breadbin and put it into the toaster. It was surprisingly easy and he didn't even feel that ill.

He found a tin of beans without too much trouble and picked it up. But the tin seemed to have a mind of its own. It jumped out of Cal's hands and landed on his foot.

Hard.


	15. Chapter 15

**Teeloganroryflan** , no, everything is going wrong for Cal at the moment! Poor Cal. Bad things always seem to happen to him in my stories. Thank you for your review!

 **ETWentHome** , I'm sorry you felt it, but I think Cal might have felt it more! Both boys will be doing some more suffering in the next chapter... but I'm sure you guessed that. Thank you for your review!

 **Becs2202** , thank you for your review. I'm really happy you find Cal's situations funny - they're horrible for him of course, but they're supposed to be a little bit funny so I'm really glad you said that.

 **Tato Potato** , a broken foot would definitely make things worse! Thank you so much for your review and I hope you enjoy the new update.

 **CBloom2** , yes, I can imagine both of them ill... in fact I'm imagining it right now! Poor Cal. Poor Ethan. Why am I always so mean to them? Thank you for your review!

 **Tanith Panic** , I suppose there are worse things Cal could sneeze on, but I won't give you an example or you really will wince! Thank you very much for your review.

* * *

Ethan went into the flat and immediately heard a groan. His heart sped up as he followed the sound to the kitchen. Cal was sitting on the floor, trying to massage his foot with one hand whilst wiping his nose on a tissue with the other.

Ethan knelt beside him. "Cal, what happened?"

"I think I've broken a metatarsal!" said Cal dramatically.

"Let me see," said Ethan and lifted Cal's foot onto his lap. "What happened?"

"That baked beans tin attacked me."

"How long ago did the accident occur?"

"About half an hour ago," said Cal. He looked at the time on the cooker. "Or maybe three minutes."

Ethan examined Cal's foot gently and carefully, patting his brother soothingly on the ankle when he whimpered with pain. Then he compared it with the other foot. "No, I don't think you've broken anything."

Cal glared at him. "What would you know?"

"I do know a little bit about injuries," said Ethan mildly. "I have a degree in medicine, you know."

"Very funny," said Cal. "Are you going to help me or just sit there telling jokes?"

Ethan suppressed a sigh. "I can bandage it if you'd like me to, but I'm sure there's no need. I think if you go to bed and rest it, the pain should go off quite quickly. But we'll keep an eye on it just to make sure."

"No, I definitely need a bandage," said Cal. He tried to stand up. "Can you help me, Ethan?"

Ethan sighed, helped him back to his room and then went to get a bandage.

"What were you doing with those baked beans anyway?" said Ethan as he tended to Cal's foot. "You must have known I'd be home soon."

"I was making you some lunch," said Cal. "Baked beans on toast. Nothing wrong with beans on toast for lunch, is there?"

"No, of course not," said Ethan, who wasn't a fan of baked beans on toast. "Thank you, Cal. It sounds… lovely."

"I know it does," said Cal regretfully. "I really wanted to do something for you for once. But it's okay. I'll make you dinner tonight instead."

Ethan tried to stop the horror from showing on his face. "Maybe you should wait till you're better. I don't want you to have a relapse and you need to rest your foot."

* * *

Cal was determined to get everything right this time. When Ethan got home that evening, he would find no puddles of orange squash, no injured brothers and no mess of any other kind.

He still wasn't feeling very well so he spent the afternoon in bed, looking up various recipes on Ethan's tablet. He wasn't quite sure what he wanted to make for dinner, but he definitely didn't want to make anything with pepper as he was sneezing far too often already. He also discarded anything with onions. He always made himself cry when he tried to chop onions and that wouldn't help his nose, which still seemed to be under the impression it was a tap.

Cal had hoped that looking at the recipes would keep him busy all afternoon, but after a while, he realised he was getting tired and Ethan's tablet was making his head ache.

He put it on the floor and closed his eyes.

* * *

Ethan sank down on one of the chairs in the staff room and tried to convince himself he wasn't feeling awful. The afternoon was only half-over, but it was proving a long and tiring day. His head felt stuffy and his voice was croaky enough for more than one patient to ask him if he was sure he should be at work.

Ethan wasn't entirely sure he should be, but he didn't see what choice he had. Cal wasn't well enough to come back yet and although Dylan had returned from his holiday, Max's attempt to cook Zoe a romantic dinner last night had culminated in a trip to the ED with food poisoning. They were home now and might even be back at work tomorrow, but Ethan had been told the day after was more likely.

Ethan massaged his aching head. Only another two hours to go. He swallowed a paracetamol and told himself he'd go back to work in a minute.

Two minutes later, he was still sitting there. He reminded himself that things could be worse: he wasn't coughing or sneezing yet and the only time he'd had to use a tissue was when he'd knocked his coffee over. But he still felt ill.

A third minute passed.

Ethan wasn't feeling any better, but he knew he couldn't put it off any longer.

He popped another throat sweet into his mouth and returned to work.

* * *

Cal woke up in a panic because he needed to go to the loo. He got out of bed and put his right foot on something that wasn't the floor.

He heard a crunching sound and looked down to discover he'd put his foot through Ethan's tablet.

"No, no, no, _no_!" said Cal, along with several much less polite words.

Then he suddenly realised he was still in bed.

Cal sighed with relief. Just a dream. The tablet was fine.

Unless it had happened before he went to sleep...

Cal was too scared to look at first, but eventually he managed to talk himself into it.

He peeped nervously over the edge of the bed. There was the tablet and…

…it had a hole in it.

Cal moaned aloud and put his duvet over his head.

* * *

Ethan felt exhausted even before he started the compressions. Lily gave him a sharp glance and asked if he wanted her to do it, but Ethan shook his head. "I'll go first. You can take over after two minutes."

After thirty seconds, Ethan's arms were aching and he could barely hold his head up, but he kept going. He wasn't going to lose a patient because of his own weakness.

But after a minute, he was aware he'd slowed down. "Lily, could-" He stopped. He needed to clear his throat, but he was using his hands for the compressions and didn't want to break the rhythm.

Lily, however, knew what was wrong. "Let me take over."

Ethan nodded and moved away so he could clear his throat. Lily calmly and competently set to work. In a short amount of time, the pulse was restored and the patient was moved out of Resus.

"Go and have a break, Ethan," said Lily. "And another lozenge."

Ethan did as he was told.

* * *

It was some time before Cal was brave enough to look at the tablet again, but when he did, he discovered there wasn't a hole at all. It just looked as though there was because of the way the light was shining on it.

Cal quickly picked the tablet up off the floor and put it on his bedside table.

That was the trouble with borrowing Ethan's things. He always made such a fuss and now he was giving his poor, sick brother nightmares.

Cal considered complaining to Ethan when he got home, but he had a feeling Ethan might not be very sympathetic.

* * *

By the end of the shift, Ethan had little energy and almost no voice. His throat felt like it was on fire and he'd already decided to order a takeaway tonight. Then he'd go home and get an early night and hope he was feeling much better tomorrow.

He knew he couldn't avoid Cal's cold forever, but if he could just get through one more day, Zoe would be back and then Ethan could take some time off.

He just hoped Cal wasn't trying to make dinner. Ethan really didn't think he could cope with any more disasters.


	16. Chapter 16

**Gillian Kearney Fan** , and quite possibly you'd even madder if someone else broke your iPad for you! I agree it wouldn't be a good idea for Cal to try cooking at the moment! Thank you for your review.

 **ETWentHome** , I couldn't write a story about Cal and Ethan without making them suffer a bit! Could you? Thank you for your review.

 **Teeloganroryflan** , aw thank you so much for your kind words! I'm happy you're enjoying it. I'm worried it's a bit repetitive, but I can't be doing too badly when I get so many lovely comments.

 **Tato Potato** , don't worry, all reviews are welcome and appreciated at any time! Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm sure Cal will stay away from tablets for the forseeable future... but maybe he'll break something else!

 **Tanith Panic** , thank you for your review. I thought about Cal breaking the tablet for real, but I have another diaster planned for later and I thought that was enough for poor Ethan to cope with!

* * *

Cal was slaving over a hot stove. It seemed only fair to make the dinner when Ethan had been working all day. Cal was feeling dizzy from standing up for so long but was determined not to give in to his illness. He didn't want to be one of those pathetic, annoying men who went to bed as soon as they got the slightest sniffle.

Cal felt a sneeze coming. He managed to turn away from the cooker in time, but he'd run out of tissues so he had to go back to his bedroom to get some more. He couldn't help feeling a bit annoyed with himself. Why hadn't he gone to get more when he only had one left? Or just brought the whole box? He was sure that was what Ethan would have done.

Not that Ethan was always perfect. He was moody and bossy and he always thought he was right. The fact that he usually was right made him even more annoying.

Just as Cal reached his bedroom, he heard Ethan unlocking the front door.

He didn't hear Ethan call out, but he wouldn't have answered him anyway. He was far more concerned with his nose, which he definitely wasn't blowing loudly enough to drown out the sound of Ethan's voice.

He was proved right when he heard Ethan shout something. It was probably a belated hello, but it sounded more like a rude word. Curious, Cal left the bedroom and went in search of his brother. He could hear more swear-words now and it sounded like they were coming from the kitchen.

He arrived in time to see Ethan smothering one of the pans, which seemed to have caught fire in Cal's absence.

Cal stared at it in surprise. "It wasn't doing that when I left."

Ethan didn't say a word, but Cal could tell he'd heard from the way his back stiffened. He didn't look or speak to Cal, but Cal had a feeling he was probably in trouble.

"Have you turned off the gas?" asked Cal helpfully.

Still no answer, but Cal was able to see for himself that he had.

"I can't believe you've actually got a fire blanket," said Cal in an attempt to bring some lightness to the situation.

Ethan swung to face him with a look of fury that was probably hotter than the fire. "Don't you think it's a good thing I have?" he hissed.

Cal didn't quite want to admit it, but he knew Ethan had a point.

"Caleb – don't you know anything?" said Ethan. His voice squeaked with incredulity. "You should never leave one of these pans unattended!"

"I needed a tissue," said Cal reproachfully. "Everyone always makes such a fuss when I use my hand."

Ethan shook his head in disbelief. "Didn't you think I'd make more of a fuss if you set fire to the kitchen?"

"I didn't know it was going to do _that_!" said Cal.

"And what were you doing using butter anyway?" Ethan sounded tired. He looked tired as well.

"I couldn't find the oil," said Cal. "You've hidden it again."

Ethan rubbed his forehead and muttered something about wishing he'd hidden the butter too.

"I was trying to make you dinner," explained Cal. He couldn't help thinking that Ethan's reaction was a little bit unappreciative. "I was trying to be helpful. Because you've been working all day."

"Well… thank you for the thought, but please don't do it again," said Ethan. His voice was still scratchy, presumably from the fire, and he cleared his throat.

Cal made a sudden grab for Ethan's hand. "You've burned yourself!"

"I'll deal with it in a minute," said Ethan, his eyes on the fire blanket.

Cal tried to drag him towards the sink. "No, _I'll_ deal with it _now_."

Ethan wrenched his hand away. " _You_ won't be doing anything. Don't you think you've caused enough trouble?"

"Yes, and I'm trying to make up for it by helping you," said Cal.

Ethan sighed and coughed a little bit. "Just go back to bed, Caleb, and _stay there_."

"Ethan…"

"Now!" said Ethan. He didn't seem to have enough voice to shout, but there was no doubting that he meant it.

Cal went back to bed.

* * *

Ethan avoided Cal for much of the evening. This was mostly because Cal was the most irritating brother who'd ever existed, but partly because he was feeling really ill. Ethan had had a couple of coughing fits, which he'd stifled as best he could so Cal didn't hear, and his nose was running a lot too. At nine o'clock, he decided he really needed to go to bed and get some proper rest and went into Cal's room to say good night.

"You look awful," said Cal.

"Unfortunately, I was born like this," said Ethan. "We can't all be as lucky as you."

Cal sat up and had another look at Ethan. "No, I know, but you don't usually look this bad. And you're croaking."

Ethan was tempted to remark that he felt like he was going to croak, but even after all the trouble Cal caused, Ethan didn't want to worry him.

"Are you feeling okay, Nibbles?" said Cal anxiously.

"I'm fine," said Ethan, touched by Cal's obvious concern. "I'm just really tired."

"How's your burn?" said Cal, who'd already interrogated Ethan about whether he'd treated it properly.

Ethan showed him his hand. "It's much better. It's hardly red at all now and the swelling's gone down."

Cal rubbed his thumb lightly over the remaining redness. "I'm sorry, Ethan."

Ethan was very surprised, but he tried not to show it. "It's all right, Cal. Don't worry."

Cal looked down into his lap. "I just wanted to do something nice for you."

"I know," said Ethan. "And I do appreciate it. Maybe when you're feeling a little bit…" He broke off suddenly. He got a tissue out of his pyjama sleeve and coughed into it.

Cal's face was a mixture of concern and guilt. "You're catching it, Ethan, aren't you?"

"It was always going to happen," said Ethan once his coughs had died down. "But it doesn't mean I'll be as ill as you. I don't feel too bad. I might not even need to take a day off work."

Cal pushed the covers aside and hauled himself to his feet. "You're going to bed right now." He put his arm around Ethan and pushed him towards the door.

"I can go by myself," protested Ethan weakly.

Cal ignored him and took Ethan into his bedroom. He helped him into bed and tucked him in carefully. Ethan wanted to be annoyed with him, but he had to admit it was nice to be looked after when he felt so ill.

"Is there anything you need before you go to sleep?" said Cal, quite gently. "A drink? Tissues? Paracetamol?"

Ethan smiled. "I'm all right for tissues, but a glass of water and a paracetamol would be nice. Thanks, Cal. And if you could stay away from mops, baked beans tins and saucepans for the foreseeable future, I'd really like that too."

Cal laughed and ruffled Ethan's hair. "Don't worry, Nibbles. I'll stick to playing with knives and using your tablet in the bath."

"Please don't even think about it!" said Ethan.


	17. Chapter 17

**ETWentHome** , thank you for your review - and you're right! We're not bad people. We're only doing what the Casualty writers do every week! Though maybe I'll decide to give Ethan a miraculous recovery... or maybe not!

 **Tanith Panic** , yes, it was only a matter of time - I could only go so long without making Ethan suffer as well! Thank you for your review.

 **Gillian Kearney Fan** , thank you for your review - I'm really happy you're enjoying it!

 **Becs2202** , me too, I just love Ethan's nickname! I do feel a bit sorry for him when Cal does it in front of people, but it's so sweet! Thank you for your review.

 **Tato Potato** , thank you so much - I'm so happy you liked the chapter! Cal is fun to write when he's being cheeky. Though actually he's fun to write when he isn't as well!

 **CBloom2** , thank you for your review. This feels like an odd sentence to be writing, but I do really hope you enjoy seeing them both suffer!

 **The-tail-of-two-brothers** , thank you for your review - I'm very pleased I've made your wishes come true! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well. (I know your username has full stops in, but the site won't let me write it properly)

 **beckyboogle** , thank you so much - that's really kind of you! And thank you for giving me my 100th review for this story. I really love Cal and Ethan's relationship so it means a lot that you like the way I wrote it.

* * *

Cal lay in bed and breathed experimentally through his nose. He could almost do it. He was still a bit sniffly and there would probably be all sorts of complaints about the noise if he breathed through his nose in public, but there was definitely some oxygen getting through. That had to be a good sign.

He got out of bed. He didn't think he was well enough to go back to work or anything like that, but he was obviously heading in that direction. It was a relief. He'd only been ill for a few days, but it felt more like weeks.

He wandered into the bathroom to check his appearance in the mirror in the hope that his nose might not be red anymore, but he stopped when he heard the sound of violent coughing. He hurried into the living room, feeling guilty for forgetting how ill Ethan had been last night. Ethan was still coughing, his mouth and nose covered with a tissue. Cal patted his back a couple of times and went to get him some water. When he returned, Ethan had stopped coughing, but his head was drooping over the table and he really didn't look well.

"Here you are, Nibbles." Cal put the glass of water on the table and sat beside him. He rubbed his back gently. "Drink that and go back to bed."

Ethan wiped his nose and had a sip of water. "I'm fine, Cal."

"Fine!?" said Cal. He looked at Ethan again, taking in his shirt and smart trousers as well as the pale face and red nose. "You're not seriously thinking of going to work."

"I've got to," said Ethan hoarsely. His head flopped forwards and he used his hand to prop himself up.

"You haven't got to," said Cal. "And if you think someone in your condition is 'fine', you're definitely not fit to work in a hospital!"

"I've got to go." Ethan reached out a hand for his glass of water and lifted it to his lips with an effort. "Zoe probably won't be back till tomorrow."

"What about me?" Cal was almost offended.

Ethan closed his eyes and spoke weakly. "Yes, I'm sure you'll be able to go back to work tomorrow too."

"Tomorrow? I'm going today!" said Cal. He didn't feel well enough, but if the alternative was Ethan going to work, he'd happily have worked a double shift. "And if I'm going, there's no need for you to go. So back to bed, Nibbles."

"I can't," said Ethan. He was using both arms to keep his head up now. "You're not well enough to go back to work."

Cal raised his voice. "I'm a lot healthier than you!"

Ethan flinched at the sound. "I'm fine."

"Of course you're not fine!" Cal made the effort to calm down. He wasn't so much angry as frightened. He could so easily not have woken up until Ethan had left. Even if he had woken up, he could have stayed in his room and not realised how ill Ethan was. And then Ethan would have gone to work and made himself feel even worse. He might even have ended up fainting like Cal.

"I'm fine," Ethan said again. He sounded almost convincing this time, but the way he massaged his forehead showed it wasn't true. He stood up and swayed slightly. Cal quickly pushed him down into the chair and held onto him.

"Ethan, you're going to bed and you're going to bed now," he said. "And if you don't do as I say, I'll carry you there myself."

Ethan's head flopped back against Cal's arm. "No. I'm all right. I'm all right." He gave a massive sneeze and had to blow his nose. "I'm all right." It sounded like he was trying to convince himself as much as Cal.

"Come on," Cal said softly. "You're going back to bed right now."

It upset him to see Ethan like this. It was partly guilt for being the one who'd infected Ethan, but not entirely. He hated seeing Ethan so vulnerable and ill. He helped Ethan to his feet, but Ethan's legs gave way and he sat down again.

Cal regarded him with a mixture of concern and exasperation. "How can you say you're fit to work if you can't even stand up?"

"I'll be all right in a minute," said Ethan. He rested his head on his hands. "I feel better now."

Cal bent down and put his arms around him. "Better than what? Now hold tight and don't struggle." He picked Ethan up in his arms. Something in his back twanged and he gasped, but this was drowned out by Ethan's protests.

"Caleb, no, put me down. You'll hurt yourself."

"I won't hurt myself," said Cal, who was fairly sure he already had.

Ethan rested his head against Cal's shoulder. "I need my tissues."

"I'll come back for them," grunted Cal. He was shocked by how heavy Ethan was, but he thought that said more about Cal's current weakness than Ethan's weight. He managed to get Ethan into his bedroom and very nearly screamed at the pain in his back as he lowered Ethan onto the bed.

"Are you okay?" said Ethan weakly. "You look a bit pale."

"I'm fine," said Cal, and went off to get Ethan's tissues. He was relieved that his brother seemed to have accepted he was too ill to work, but Cal was seriously beginning to wish he'd let Ethan walk to his bedroom. He put his hand on his back as he walked slowly into the living room. He did a couple of cautious rotation exercises, but that made it hurt even more. He was about to go and look for the strongest painkillers he could find, but a loud sneeze from Ethan's bedroom recalled him to his purpose. He picked up the tissues, stole one for himself, and made the long, painful walk back to Ethan's bedroom.

He had no idea how he was going to manage to work, but he didn't see what choice he had. Ethan definitely couldn't work today and there was no guarantee Zoe would be well enough to come back. The ED needed Cal.

In which case Cal needed some serious medication.


	18. Chapter 18

**Tato Potato** , thank you for your review. I want them to feel better too, but that would mean the end of the story! I'm really happy you enjoyed it.

 **ETWentHome** , it didn't take Cal long to overdo it, did it? They are very different in some ways, but I think a stubborn streak runs in the family (and now I'm thinking about Cal and Ethan streaking). Thank you for your review!

 **smish123** , thank you for your review. Ethan probably will get it as badly as Cal, but he might make less of a fuss! Cal's last attempt at going to work wasn't overly successful, so let's see what happens!

 **CBloom2** , I'm glad you're enjoying the story - I'm enjoying writing it! They are very sweet when they're vulnerable. Cal will take care of Ethan a bit more in this chapter. Thank you for your review!

 **Tanith Panic** , I'm not sure there's anything left for me to put them through after this! Thank you so much - I'm not sure Cal and Ethan appreciate the comedy, but I definitely appreciate your comment.

 **beckyboogle** , thank you so much for your review. I really am happy that you're enjoying the story. That means a lot to me! I hope you like this chapter too.

* * *

"You will be all right on your own, won't you?" said Cal anxiously.

Ethan had to admit it was quite nice being looked after. Cal had willingly walked back and forth between the kitchen and the bedroom, bringing Ethan everything he might need, as well as several things he almost certainly wouldn't. Now, he was sitting on Ethan's bed, looking genuinely worried.

"I'm fine, Cal," said Ethan, and sneezed to prove it.

"Yes: you're completely fine," said Cal. He gave Ethan a tissue, even though he already had one, and put the box in Ethan's bed. "There: now you can reach them without sitting up."

"Mm," Ethan mumbled into his tissues and closed his eyes. He still felt terrible, but it was such a relief to lie in bed and not have to worry about things like how he was going to hold his head up. "I'll be fine on my own. Really."

He opened his eyes again when Cal actually stroked his hair. "Phone or text me if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay," said Ethan. He would rather Cal stayed and stroked his hair till he fell asleep, but he couldn't have everything. He was lucky just to be getting the day off.

"Hope you feel better soon, Nibbles," said Cal. He sounded like he meant it.

Ethan watched him go. Then he heard Cal coughing loudly outside the bedroom and began to feel worried again. Was Cal really well enough to go back to work? He hadn't been in great shape yesterday.

 _Maybe I should go_ , thought Ethan, but when he sat up, he was hit with a wave of dizziness. For a moment, he contemplated a busy day in cubicles and more emergencies in Resus, but just the thought of it made his headache worse.

He was better off in bed for now.

He just wished he could be sure that Cal wasn't better off in bed too.

* * *

Cal wished he was still in bed.

His nose had blocked itself again; walking from the car to the ED had completely exhausted him; and his back was reminding him forcefully of its presence every time he moved, but he knew he had to manage. There was no reason why he shouldn't be able to manage. It wasn't going to kill him.

Not as long as the ibuprofens started working.

Once Cal got into the staff room, he realised that getting changed into his scrubs would not be easy. Getting dressed had been agony and he knew this could hurt just as much. He considered working in his normal clothes, but Connie would have something to say about that and the chances of getting through an entire shift without getting sprayed with some kind of bodily fluid were negligible.

Cal gritted his teeth and started to get changed, but it was a slow process as he kept having to stop, either to wipe his nose or because the pain was just too much to bear. When he was finally dressed, he was in so much pain, he just wanted to sink to the floor and put his head in his hands, but he wasn't sure he'd be able to get up again.

After taking a few moments to let the pain die down (which it did – a tiny bit), Cal crammed as many tissues into his pockets as he could. He knew he wouldn't be able to go running to the loos now he'd hurt his back. Of course, half the patients would complain about his showing cold symptoms in public (and the other half would make disgusted faces), but at least he could try to keep their objections to a minimum.

He met Connie in the corridor. "Dr Knight," she said without enthusiasm. "So you're back."

Cal smiled. "Yes, Mrs Beauchamp. I'm feeling much better. I'm still sneezing and coughing a bit, but I've got lots of-"

He stopped as Connie held up her hand. "Dr Knight, I'm your clinical lead, not your GP. I don't need to know your symptoms unless you need emergency life-saving treatment. Where's Dr Hardy?"

"In bed," said Cal. "At home, I mean."

Connie didn't look surprised. "Your fault, I assume."

"Sorry," said Cal.

"Well, at least I've got one of you," said Connie. "Whether I've got the right one remains to be seen. Now, I do expect you to give 100% with the patients, Caleb, but please be sensible. If you need a break, you take a break. Is that clear?"

Cal nodded. "Yes, Mrs Beauchamp."

"Good," said Connie. "Now go to cubicles, Dr Knight, and don't sneeze on the patients. That includes the ones who are asking for it."

* * *

Ethan couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this ill. He knew he really needed to rest as much as possible, but it seemed wrong to lie here feeling sorry for himself when he could be doing something useful. He sat up slowly, waited for the dizziness to pass, and got out of bed.

It was very odd. Everything was blurry. Ethan was sure there was a reason for this, and slowly worked out that he wasn't wearing his glasses. Ethan put them on, picked up his tissues, and began the long walk to the living room. His legs were very shaky and felt ready to give way, but Ethan kept going.

At last he reached the living room. He picked up his books, lay down on the sofa and started to read.

Or he tried to read. The words kept dancing about before his eyes, making his headache worse. He closed his eyes for a moment and gave himself a stern talking-to. Yes, he was ill. Yes, Cal had been right to insist that Ethan stayed at home. But he ought to be able to cope with reading.

Ethan opened his eyes, filled with renewed determination. He was good at reading, after all. He'd actually started reading before Cal had. And it wasn't as though reading involved walking around.

He read a paragraph. It wasn't too difficult. He understood it. It was more of an effort than usual because his brain felt so sluggish, but the only thing that really mattered was that he was able to do it.

Ethan had just started the next paragraph when he realised he was going to sneeze. He quickly covered his nose with a tissue and sneezed three times in a row. For a few moments, he just sat there and whimpered slightly because he felt so awful, but he knew he was being silly. It was only a bit of reading. It wasn't going to kill him.

He scanned the page, trying to work out where he was up to, but he had no idea what he'd just been reading about and none of the paragraphs seemed familiar. He looked at the previous page, wondering if the force of his sneeze had somehow turned the page for him, but he didn't remember reading that page either. He went back a few more pages, but it was no good.

Ethan sighed and dropped his head into his hands. He was tempted to give up, but if he wanted to be a consultant, he couldn't be beaten by little setbacks like his brain refusing to work. It wasn't as though he was seriously ill. It was just a cold.

He went back to the beginning of the chapter and started again.


	19. Chapter 19

**ETWentHome** , thank you so much for your review. I know you won't read this chapter for a while, but I really hope you enjoy it. I thought it was about time Cal started to get better!

 **Tato Potato** , of course nothing will happen to Cal at work. Would I be that cruel? Um... maybe you shouldn't answer that. Thank you for your review - I hope you enjoy this chapter.

 **Tanith Panic** , I think Cal definitely needs to speak to one of his colleagues - but will he actually do it? That's the question! Thank you for your review. And I'm sorry, but I think you're going to cringe.

And a very belated thank you to **CBloom2** , who inspired me with this idea: _Maybe a chapter with Ethan coming down with it and Cal reminding him of what he kept telling him about staying at home?_. and **lilangel1** for this idea: _ethan comes down with it while cal is recovering who thinks he is better but makes himself worse_.

* * *

Cal wondered if distance between the cubicles and the waiting room had always been this long. Every step was painful as well as exhausting and out of habit, he found himself blaming Ethan. Why couldn't he have kept himself healthy for just one more day?

Cal stopped walking as he felt a tickle in his throat. He felt in one of his pockets for a tissue, but they were jammed in so tightly, he ended up pulling the whole lot out. Most of them ended up on the floor, but there was no time to pick them up now. Cal coughed violently and felt his back jar in response to every cough. He thought he might have cried out, but he wasn't sure of anything much. He wasn't sure of anything except he felt ill and his back hurt and he wished he was dead.

"Cal? Are you okay?" A hand touched his arm and he realised Robyn was looking up at him with concern on her face.

Cal didn't even try to sound convincing. "I'm fine, Robyn."

Robyn stroked his arm. "Are you sure? Maybe you should go and have a break."

"I've only seen three patients," said Cal. It had seemed more like thirty. None of them had been grateful for his help. They'd seemed much more interested in getting away from Cal and his germs than they were in receiving treatment.

Robyn looked even more concerned. "Maybe you'll feel better once you get into it. It might take your mind off how you feel. It works with hangovers, doesn't it?"

"Sometimes," admitted Cal.

"I'll pick your tissues up for you," said Robyn gently. Cal would usually have argued, but he wasn't convinced that bending down was a good idea.

"Thanks, Robyn," he said meekly and put them back in his pocket.

Robyn gave his back a rub and Cal did his best not to flinch. "I hope you feel better soon, Cal. Just take things a bit easy and don't put too much pressure on yourself, okay? And let me know if there's anything I can do."

* * *

Ethan wondered if there had ever been anyone who was born with an extra pair of hands. If there was, he was officially jealous.

The textbook he was working from now was very annoying because it refused to stay open unless Ethan held it open. He was trying to make notes, which meant he needed another hand for writing with and in an ideal world, a third hand for holding his writing pad still on his lap would have been very useful too. Then he definitely needed an extra hand for his tissues because his nose just would not stop running.

Ethan sniffed a few times, but it was no good. He put down his pen and watched in despair as it rolled off his lap, finally coming to rest halfway across the living room. Ethan gave it a reproachful look and then made a hurried search for his tissue. He felt his writing pad slide off his lap and tried to comfort himself with the thought that at least that wouldn't end up on the other side of the room. As he felt down the side of the cushion, still sniffing hard, the textbook slid off too and knocked over his glass of water.

Ethan told himself not to be upset. There was no point in crying over spilled water. He could get some more later. The only thing that mattered now was finding a tissue.

He gave up on the missing one and looked for the box, which was on the floor beside him. There was a tissue poking out of the top, but Ethan made no move to take it. All he could do was stare in horror and disbelief. Next the box was his writing pad, now soaked in water, his notes completely indecipherable.

As Ethan finally got himself a tissue, he decided that there were times when crying over spilled water was not only understandable but completely normal.

* * *

Cal was surprised when he was asked to help with the emergency. He had been convinced he would be in cubicles all day, not to be trusted with anything really important.

If he was honest, the news filled him with dismay. He'd been just about to raid the hospital's medical supplies to see if they had any kind of bandage to support his back. Once that was done, he'd been planning on having a break.

He couldn't deal with an emergency now. He was in pain and he was feeling really ill and he thought he might _be_ the next emergency if he wasn't careful.

But he knew he didn't really have a choice. Connie wouldn't have asked him to help unless she was desperate. Cal waited by reception and blew his nose several times in the hope he wouldn't need to do it again in Resus when he probably wouldn't have a free hand.

He caught Louise giving him a disgusted look. "Could you keep the noise down, please?"

Cal glared at her. "I'm not being noisy! Would you rather I used my hand?"

Noel gave Cal a sympathetic look and asked if he wanted to sit down for a bit, but at that moment, the doors burst open and a trolley was wheeled through. Cal started to walk towards it, but he realised he didn't have any gloves and had to run to get some. The trolley was already in Resus by the time Cal was ready to start work.

Connie didn't say one word to him, but she didn't need to. Her look was eloquent enough.

"Okay: on three," said Iain as Cal joined the hospital staff standing around the patient. "One... two… three!"

Cal screamed in pain, but luckily, his professionalism was still sufficiently intact for him not to drop the patient.

"Problem, Dr Knight?" enquired Connie acidly.

"No," said Cal quickly and bent over the patient, only for another burning wave of pain to pass through his back. His eyes filled with tears of pain, but he blinked them away and tried to get on with his job. He knew the patient was in a much more serious condition than he was. He did everything Connie told him and tried not to feel jealous when Connie asked for a large quantity of morphine to be given to the patient.

Cal was using both hands to put pressure on an open wound when it happened. His nose tickled. He gave Connie an agonised glance, but she was showing no signs of finishing anytime soon. Cal desperately tried to swallow his sneeze, but he knew it was coming and all he could do was turn his head and sneeze onto his shoulder.

It was the best thing he could have done for the patient, but it wasn't so good for his scrubs or his pride.

"Sorry," he mumbled, and wondered if his face was redder than his nose.

He really did want to die when Connie told Robyn to wipe his nose for him, but there was nothing he could do except put up with it and then try to forget about it and focus on the patient.

Robyn gave him a sympathetic look, then she put her hand on his back and rubbed it.

As it was Robyn, Cal was sure she was being really gentle, but it hurt.

He managed to get through the rest of the procedure without sneezing or screaming, though he did cough a couple of times, but he knew Connie wouldn't forget anything that had happened and she was right.

"Dr Knight, there's only one reason why I'm not sending you home. Do you know what that is?"

"Because we're two doctors down already?" said Cal.

"No, because you need medical attention and for once, you're in exactly the right place," said Connie. "Go and get a clean top and wait for Robyn in the staff room."

Cal did as he was told. He didn't really want Robyn fussing over him when he was contagious, but he couldn't win an argument with Connie even when he was well. He walked slowly to the staff room, wincing with every step. He found himself another top and tried to take off the dirty one, but the pain was too much. He sank down on a chair with his head in his hands and waited for Robyn or Death, whichever came first.

He really hoped it wouldn't be Robyn.


	20. Chapter 20

**AVMabs** , I'm really happy you enjoyed Robyn wiping Cal's nose. I thought it was borderline between funny and disgusting so thank you very much for letting me know you liked it. Thank you for your review.

 **Tato Potato** , I think you're right - gentleness and minimum fuss is exactly what Cal needs. Thank you for your review - I'm really happy you liked the chapter.

 **Tanith Panic** , thank you for your review. It's really good to know which parts you like best and I'm glad you didn't cringe too much. He won't be able to have much treatment, unfortunately, but I'll let Connie explain that!

 **Gillian Kearney Fan** , thank you for your review. It's really good to know that you sympathise with both of them.

 **Guest** , thank you very much for your review. It made me really happy. I hope this update is soon enough!

 **is-there-somewhere-x** , I'm really happy I made you laugh! I'm really glad Ethan is getting some sympathy too. Thank you for your review.

* * *

 _Only one more chapter after this one - it was only meant to have three chapters and now it has twenty-one! Thank you to everyone who encouraged me to extend it._

* * *

Ethan was tired. So, so tired, but he didn't want to stop working till he'd finished re-doing the notes he'd ruined. To make matters worse, he'd been using the second side of a piece of paper so he had two whole pages of A4 to rewrite. Usually, it wouldn't have taken all that long, but every muscle in Ethan's body seemed to be aching, including the ones in his right hand.

He was sitting at the table now. It was better in terms of not losing or dropping things, but he had never realised sitting up could be so tough.

Ethan laid his head on the table and tried to go through in his mind the procedure he was learning about. He had to calculate the correct amounts of medication to administer to different patients, taking into account age, weight, medical history and vital signs. Ethan was usually extremely good at mental arithmetic, but all he could think of now was the amount of tissues he and Cal were likely to get through in an average day.

Ethan sat up and looked down at his textbook, but something was wrong.

He was sure it was in English (with the odd bit of Latin), but the words weren't making any sense at all.

* * *

Cal was trying not to cry with pain as Robyn ran her fingers over his back and asked him to bend and turn and do all kinds of other things that were absolute agony. She'd already taken a swab from his mouth and she'd also managed to hurt him when she'd stuck a thermometer in his ear.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?" said Robyn as she started punching his back.

That was what it felt like anyway.

"No," said Cal weakly.

Robyn carried on punching.

"What's the verdict, Nurse?" he asked in a tired and pain-filled voice once Robyn had finally stopped.

"Well… you'll live," said Robyn.

Cal groaned.

"What's wrong?" said Robyn, alarmed. "I wasn't even touching you that time."

"You said I was going to live," said Cal. "And I don't think I want to!"

* * *

Ethan knew there were lots of sensible things he could do. He could have a break. He could have something to eat. He could admit to himself that he simply wasn't well enough to study and go back to bed.

But he didn't do any of those things. Ruining his notes meant he was further behind than he'd been at the start of the day and he didn't want to stop working until he'd actually achieved something.

But he couldn't do it. He didn't know what was wrong with him. When Cal had been ill, he'd got himself into lots of trouble at work, but he'd done quite well in terms of diagnosing his patients.

Ethan couldn't even read about diagnosing patients.

He was useless. He was completely and utterly useless.

Ethan picked up his textbook in a fit of helpless rage and threw it on the floor.

For some reason, it was the thump of the book hitting the floor that made him cry.

* * *

Cal managed to stay calm when Connie arrived, which was quite an achievement considering how annoyed she was with him. He also managed to stay calm when he went to have a scan on his back, but he felt like crying as he sat, waiting the results.

Robyn sat beside him. She'd wanted to hug him, but Cal was worried she might catch his germs. "I'm sure Mrs Beauchamp will let you go home."

"I can't go home," said Cal. "The ED needs me."

"We'll miss you, but I'm sure we'll manage," said Robyn. "We always do manage."

When Connie re-entered, Cal wanted to hide behind Robyn, but he knew that was just the illness talking. Cal wasn't usually scared of Connie – or not to the extent where he wanted to hide behind a nurse.

"Right. Caleb," said Connie. The use of his first name could be considered friendlier, but Cal knew he'd been relegated from doctor to patient. "First things first. You don't have a cold."

Cal stared at her. "What do you mean I don't have a cold?"

"You have flu," said Connie.

"Flu? In August?" said Cal.

Connie nodded. "Have you ever met a girl named Savannah Morton?

Cal screwed up his face. "I think I did meet a Savannah. We didn't get around to exchanging surnames, but I was in quite close proximity to her for a few hours."

"Let me guess," said Connie. "She was from Australia and she'd been suffering from allergies since arriving in the UK."

Cal sighed. "Now let _me_ guess: she showed up in the ED and you diagnosed her with a flu virus she'd picked up at home where it's winter."

Connie nodded. "Correct, Dr Knight. I'm going to prescribe some medication for Ethan which might help speed his recovery, but there's no point in taking any yourself as it's only effective if you take it in the first couple of days of illness."

Cal nodded. "Thanks, Mrs Beauchamp. He was feeling pretty rough this morning."

"I've also looked at the results of your back scan," said Connie. "You've strained a muscle. Do you have any idea how this injury might have occurred?"

"Getting someone very heavy into bed," said Cal tiredly.

"He doesn't mean me," Robyn said quickly.

"Of course not," mumbled Cal. "I don't think I'd have any trouble getting you into bed."

Robyn looked a bit offended. "Actually, you might be surprised!"

Cal's head was aching. "What? What did I say? I only said you weren't heavy. I thought I was paying you a compliment."

"Oh, sorry, I thought you were implying I was easy," said Robyn.

"Of course I wasn't!" said Cal.

"If you've both quite finished?" said Connie, and the registrar and nurse fell silent. "You really are very predictable at times, Caleb. Please try to refrain from these 'heavy lifting' activities in future."

"I'll try," said Cal. "But if I know my little Nibbles, he won't be waiting in bed for me like a good boy."

Robyn gave an audible gasp. "You mean you're… I mean, not that there's anything wrong with it or anything…"

"Calm down, Robyn," said Connie. "Our resident ladies' man has not turned gay. He's talking about his brother. Who, as far as I'm aware, is perfectly capable of walking."

"He's really weak," said Cal.

"And you were extremely stupid," said Connie. "Now, I'm sure you know the correct treatment for a strained back muscle, but as you don't seem capable of using your brain at the moment, I'd better explain it to you," said Connie. "Use ice on your back every three to four hours, for twenty to thirty minutes at a time. I'll prescribe you a large dose of ibuprofen, which should also ease your flu symptoms, and some muscle relaxants, which you can take if necessary. I'll also give you a support to wrap around your back, though you'll need to remove it to get maximum benefit from the ice. Take it easy for a few days, but don't spend the whole time lying in bed. It will be good for you to move around carefully and help your brother, but _no_ carrying him. Is that clear?"

Cal sneezed.

"I'll take that as a yes," said Connie. "Get well soon, Dr Knight – but don't come back too soon. Dedication is an admirable quality, but so is knowing when to stop."


	21. Chapter 21

**Tanith Panic** , the Ethan bits are quite sad - I wanted a bit of a contrast between Ethan being at home ill and Cal being at home ill. But he's a bit happier in this chapter, don't worry! I'm happy you liked Cal and Robyn's misunderstandings. Thank you for your review.

 **Tato Potato** , I actually thought everyone was (at least secretly) scared of Connie, but I get things wrong all the time!Thank you for your review and I'm really happy you enjoyed the chapter.

 **CBloom2** , I don't think Ethan will be as grumpy as Cal, but maybe Cal deserves to have a grumpy brother after all the stress - not to mention the germs - he inflicted on Ethan! Thank you for your review.

 **Is-there-somewhere-x** , thank you for your review. I'm really happy you liked the scenes between Cal, Robyn and Connie - they were a lot of fun to write, especially as they're such different characters. If you don't want to see the end of this, maybe you shouldn't read on... though I really hope you will!

* * *

 _So, this is the end, probably. It was originally three chapters long but might have stopped after the first one following a negative review. Now here we are with Chapter 21. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourite, followed and provided support to encourage me to continue writing._

* * *

Ethan heard the sound of a key in the door and reluctantly decided he'd better take his head off the table. He'd stopped crying, but he didn't doubt the signs of it were still on his face. He sat up, deciding it must be lunchtime if Cal was home.

He looked at Cal's face and saw with surprise that he looked tearstained too. Ethan got to his feet and ignored the resulting dizziness.

"Are you okay? Have you been crying?" they both said at the same time.

Then they looked at one another and both answered. "I couldn't do my work and I felt really ill."

Ethan was relieved he wasn't the only person struggling to work, but he was sorry Cal had felt as miserable as he did. Without really thinking about it, he reached up and gave Cal a hug.

"You really shouldn't be working, Nibbles," said Cal, as the two of them more or less held each other upright.

"Neither should you!" said Ethan with a weak laugh that turned into a cough. "Is it lunchtime?"

"No, I was sent home," said Cal. "I sneezed all over my shoulder in Resus."

Ethan smiled sympathetically. "Better over your shoulder than over the patient."

"Connie told Robyn to wipe my nose for me!" said Cal.

"It wasn't your fault your hands were already occupied," said Ethan. "Two hands aren't really enough when you have a cold."

"Oh yeah – about that," said Cal. "We don't have a cold. We have the flu."

Ethan wasn't surprised. "I did wonder if it was flu, but I don't know where you could have caught it from. We haven't had any flu cases in the hospital."

Cal looked slightly embarrassed. "I caught it from an Australian backpacker. We spent a couple of hours… in close confines. She told me she had allergies. Then she took herself off to the ED."

Ethan considered making a joke about catching nasty illnesses from girls, but he decided Cal had probably suffered enough.

"I also hurt my back in Resus and nearly dropped the patient," said Cal, who was competitive about everything, including illness. "And Robyn had to examine my back for me and she nearly killed me because it hurt so much."

"But now you're home," said Ethan reassuringly. "So you can rest and get better. Speaking of resting, shall we sit down?"

Cal nodded and they started to walk towards the sofa, still holding on to each other.

"So how awful was your day?" asked Cal.

"I was trying to study and write notes," said Ethan. "I needed a tissue so I put my notes on the floor. My textbook fell off my lap and knocked my water all over my notes. I had to do it all again. Then I forgot how to read so I, um, threw my book on the floor and cried."

Cal looked slightly embarrassed. "I cried in the car because Mrs Beauchamp was mean to me."

"Only because you're not very well and you were having a terrible day," said Ethan. He gave Cal several cushions to support his back and sat beside him. "Did you tell Mrs Beauchamp about your back?"

Cal nodded. "She sent me for a scan. I've strained a muscle so I have to stay at home and take it easy."

Ethan nodded. "It looks like we'll both be doing that for the next few days. We do both seem a bit useless." He blew his nose. "And disgusting."

"You're not disgusting. You're ill." Cal looked at Ethan, frowning. "Though you do look pretty awful. You should go to bed, Nibbles. You're shivering."

"I'm fine," said Ethan. He curled up on the sofa, but there wasn't much room and his head was almost in Cal's lap.

Cal started stroking his hair. Ethan guessed he was high on pain and flu meds, but he decided he liked having his hair stroked.

"Do you remember when we were little and we were both ill at the same time, Mum used to put us both in her bed?" said Ethan.

Cal nodded. "You always lay there quietly like a good boy and I complained a lot and made a big fuss."

"And consequently got more attention than me!" said Ethan.

They were silent for a while, just thinking.

Then Ethan spoke again. "I miss her, Cal."

Cal leaned over a bit so he could hug Ethan. If it hurt his back, he gave no sign of it. "Me too, Nibbles."

Ethan blinked hard. "I always miss her. I'm not saying I miss her more because I'm ill."

"But sometimes it's harder to deal with, isn't it?" said Cal.

"Yes," whispered Ethan. "It is."

Cal rubbed his shoulder. "I suppose we could keep the tradition going. If you wanted."

"It would be easier for us to help each other if we're in the same room," said Ethan, a bit unsteadily.

Cal nodded. "Much easier. Why don't you go to bed and I'll make us both some lunch?"

* * *

In the end, they made lunch together. Ethan got everything out of the fridge so Cal wouldn't have to bend down, then he sat down and had a rest while Cal made sandwiches. Once that was done, Ethan carried the tray into their bedroom and Cal carried a bag of frozen peas Ethan had said he could use for his back as it was bigger than any of their ice packs.

Once they were in the bedroom, Ethan arranged the pillows so Cal's back was supported. "Did Mrs Beauchamp give you anything for your back?"

"Ibuprofen, muscle relaxants and a support to wear, but I'll need to take it off to use the ice," said Cal. "And some flu meds for you. Apparently it's too late to do anything for me, but you're not beyond help."

Ethan's smile was weak, but Cal was just glad to see him smiling.

They didn't say much over lunch. Cal was tired and he knew it was the same for Ethan. Cal gave Ethan some water and patted his back when he had a nasty coughing fit and Ethan gave Cal a careful hug when he sneezed and caused his back to twinge.

By the time they'd finished their lunch and drunk some tea (which Cal had made and Ethan had carried), Ethan became very sleepy. His head drooped onto Cal's shoulder. "I'm not hurting your back, am I?" he said anxiously.

"No, not at all." Cal smiled despite his fatigue. He was touched by Ethan's concern and he was glad he hadn't told Ethan the real cause of his back injury. "But I wouldn't go to sleep there, Nibbles. You might get a bad back too."

"I don't want to move," said Ethan, but he knew Cal was right. He snuggled down under the covers.

"Night, Nibbles," said Cal, and tucked him in properly.

"Night, Caleb." Ethan closed his eyes.

Cal blew his nose very quietly.

"Caleb?" Ethan opened one eye. "Can you keep the noise down, please? I'm trying to sleep."

Cal threw a pillow at his head.

"Oh, thank you." Ethan grabbed the pillow and put his head on it.

Cal held his back and winced in pain. "Why did I throw that pillow? Why?"

Ethan sat up, ignoring the feeling of dizziness, and put his hand on Cal's shoulder. "Are you all right? You can have the pillow back if you need it."

Cal swallowed another ibuprofen. "It's okay. I think I'm going to have a nap too." He lay down beside Ethan and patted his arm when he started coughing. "It's all right, Nibbles. You'll feel better soon. Just go to sleep. I'm right here."

"Wake me up if you need me to help you to the bathroom," murmured Ethan.

"Wake me up if the flat's burning down again," murmured Cal.

They shared a weak but affectionate smile and fell asleep.

* * *

 _I think this really is the end now as I'm not sure what could happen after this and I think Cal and Ethan will be less inclined to push themselves if they know it's flu and not just a cold, but if you do have any ideas, you can always let me know._


	22. Chapter 22

_I know I said this was finished, but a couple of people gave me some very good ideas and here is the first of them, from **Tato Potato**. I thought about starting a new story as the last chapter seemed to round everything off, but I decided to keep all the chapters together._

 **Tato** **Potato** , thank you very much for your brilliant idea - I have altered it slightly, but I hope you'll still like it. Thank you for your review and I'm really happy you've enjoyed the story.

 **ETWentHome** , thank you for your review - I'm so glad you've enjoyed it. I couldn't resist putting them both in the same bed! I was quite glad to send them to bed after making the poor boys run around all over the ED for 21 chapters!

 **Jinxy13112** , thank you for your review. I'm happy you've enjoyed the story so much and it's always really nice when someone doesn't want a story to end!

 **TheAtomicCheesepuff** , thank you for your review - I'm really happy you enjoyed the story. It seemed like a good place to finish for me too, but I just had to write Tato Potato's idea!

 **Tanith Panic** , Cal is definitely on the road to recovery, though I'm not sure he'll want to admit it! Thank you for your review and I'm really happy you enjoyed it. I don't think Cal and Ethan did! (Sorry for including one of your least favourite words in this chapter.)

 **lilangel1** , well, it isn't coming to an end quite yet! Thank you for your review - I'm really happy you've enjoyed it. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter too.

 **the-tail-of-two-brothers** , thank you so much! That's such a lovely thing to say. I love your idea - I suppose Cal lying to Ethan and getting away with it (for once) does leave a bit of a loose end. I'll need to think about it some more, but I'd definitely like to write it.

* * *

Cal groaned when he heard the knock on the door. "Can you get that, Ethan?"

Ethan was lying on his side with his eyes closed. "It's your turn, Caleb."

"But my back hurts," said Cal. It actually didn't hurt for once, but Cal knew it would if he tried anything silly like moving.

"Well, my nose hurts," said Ethan. "It's all sore. Besides, I'm more ill than you."

"But I have flu _and_ a bad back," said Cal.

"But there's more chance of me spreading germs because I'm coughing and sneezing more than you," said Ethan.

Cal sighed. "It won't be anything important anyway. It'll just be some door-do-door idiot offering to cut our trees down."

"If so, I hardly think they'd knock on the door of a flat," said Ethan. He sneezed and blew his nose. "Why do I feel dizzy when I'm lying down?"

"I would explain it, but I'm sure you know already," said Cal, and coughed a bit. "And if you don't, I'm still not telling you because you're supposed to be having a break from studying."

"And because you can't remember," said Ethan.

Cal glared at him. "Of course I can remember! I just can't at the moment because I'm ill. But that doesn't mean I don't know."

The knock on the door sounded again. Ethan lifted his head from the pillow but then let it fall back again. "Please could you answer it, Cal? I feel so awful and it might be something important."

"I feel _worse_ than awful," said Cal, not to be outdone. "And my back hurts so I'd need you to help me get to the door anyway. So you might as well do it. It will be easier for you to do it by yourself than supporting me."

Ethan moaned pathetically. "I can't, Caleb." He coughed a few times. "I'm not even dressed."

Cal folded his arms. "I can't either. And I'm only dressed because I didn't get _un_ dressed so I'm not really dressed."

The brothers looked at each other, at an impasse.

"So we're ignoring then then?" said Ethan in a weak voice. He seemed slightly shocked by the idea, but he didn't look like he was going to argue.

"Looks like it," said Cal with a shrug.

* * *

Lofty kept telling himself there wasn't any need to worry, but he couldn't help it. Two of his best friends had the flu and they weren't answering the door.

"Maybe they were just asleep," said Max. "It was quite early. I always sleep late when I'm ill."

"You'd sleep late when you were well if you didn't have Zoe to drag you out of bed," said Lofty.

"True," said Max. He thought some more. "Or maybe they just couldn't be bothered to answer the door. I've done that before."

Lofty smiled. "So have I. And I can definitely imagine Cal doing that." His smile faded. "But not Ethan. I think he'd answer the door even if he wasn't dressed."

Max was looking worried too now. "Ethan opened the door to me once wearing a fluffy bathrobe and slippers."

"Cal opened the door to me once in just his slippers," said Lofty. "But to be fair, he was expecting his girlfriend."

"Poor Cal: he's probably not getting much action at the moment, is he?" said Max.

They both jumped as a voice spoke. "Haven't you two got any work to do?"

"Nope," said Max with a cheeky smile.

Zoe gave an unwilling laugh. "I might have known _you_ didn't have anything to do. But what about you, Lofty? We had a waiting room full of patients last time I looked."

"We were just talking about Cal and Ethan," explained Lofty. "We're a bit worried."

"Oh, no, there's no need to worry," said Zoe. "They'll be fine in a few days. They just need to get some proper rest."

"But I went to their flat this morning before work and they didn't answer," said Lofty.

"They were probably still asleep," said Zoe. "Or too lazy to answer the door, like someone else I could mention."

Max smiled. "Who's that then?"

"Just some guy I know…" said Zoe. She smiled reassuringly at Lofty. "I really don't think there's any need to start worrying yet. Why not try calling them when you have your break and if they don't answer, you could go and see them at lunchtime?"

Lofty just about managed to stop himself from giving Zoe a hug. "That's a good idea, Thanks, Zoe. I'm sure I'm worrying about nothing, but they are my mates."

"And they're very lucky to have a mate like you," said Zoe. "Now go and find some work to do, both of you."

* * *

At lunchtime, Lofty and Max found themselves outside Cal and Ethan's flat again. All attempts to reach them by phone had been unsuccessful. Max had started to wonder if perhaps they weren't ill at all and they'd sneaked off to Magaluf or somewhere, but Lofty didn't think Ethan would do something like that and even if he would, he'd probably had more than enough of Magaluf.

Max hammered on the door, but again, there was no answer.

"Should we call the fire brigade?" said Lofty.

"No!" said Max very definitely. "What if they remember us from last time?"

This was more than enough to put Lofty off the idea. "So what should we do?"

"Break in, of course!" said Max.

Lofty felt Max was relishing the idea just a little bit too much. "I don't think they'd like it if someone broke into their house when they were ill. It might upset them."

Max sighed. "I think they might be even more upset if they died because we didn't break in when we knew they might need help."

"How are we going to do it then?" said Lofty reluctantly. "We can't get through the window. It's too high."

"Nothing wrong with the door, is there?" said Max.

Lofty looked the door up and down. "Well, it is _closed_ , Max."

Max reached into his pocket and pulled out his credit card. "I've always wanted to know if this works."

"So have I," admitted Lofty, his doubts falling away.

"And if it doesn't work," said Max, "I've heard you can do it with coins too."

Lofty looked longingly at the credit card. "Can I do it?"

"No way!" said Max, holding his card to him protectively. "Fundamental rule of life. Never let anyone else use your credit card."

"Okay," said Lofty reluctantly. He put a hand in his pocket. "But if your card doesn't work, we're trying with my coin, okay?"

Max looked unwilling, but he finally gave a reluctant nod. "Okay." He slid the credit card into the tiny gap between the door and the wall.

 _Don't work, don't work!_ Lofty pleaded silently. He _really_ wanted to use his coin.

There was a click and the door opened.

"Get in!" said Max.

Lofty smiled. "Ethan would make some joke about the fact we've already got in. He's funny sometimes, Ethan."

Max gave him an incredulous look. "After we've had a few pints, maybe. But even Mrs Beauchamp seems quite funny after we've had a few pints."

They went into the flat. They couldn't see Cal or Ethan, but Lofty thought they were probably in their rooms.

"Who first?" said Max, making for the bedrooms.

"Cal," said Lofty. Cal would probably find it hilarious they'd got into his flat using a credit card, but Lofty wasn't sure Ethan would take the news as well. He'd probably start fussing about security, and Lofty could see his point.

Though on the other hand, Ethan might be quite glad if Cal had a way of getting into his flat the next time he stayed out late and came home without his keys.

Max knocked lightly on Cal's door, but there was no answer. He opened the door. "He's not here."

Lofty grabbed the edge of the door and opened it fully. The bed was empty and unmade. "Do you think maybe they have gone off to Magaluf?"

"I don't know," said Max, frowning. "Shall we try Ethan's room?"

Lofty nodded. He managed to get there ahead of Max this time and what he saw made him gasp out loud.

"What is it?" said Max.

Lofty shushed him. "You might wake them!"

"Them?" said Max.

Lofty opened the door. Cal and Ethan were lying on Ethan's bed, both fast asleep. Cal was snoring rather heavily and Ethan was sucking his thumb, though his mouth was slightly open to enable him to breathe.

Max's face lit up. He tiptoed into the room and took his phone out of his pocket.

"Max, you're not going to take a picture, are you?" whispered Lofty. It didn't seem right, somehow, to photograph them when they were ill. If they were drunk, yes. Everyone was fair game when they were drunk. But Cal and Ethan had flu.

Max clapped Lofty reassuringly on the shoulder. "Of course I'm not going to take a picture. Would I do a thing like that?" He switched his phone to video and stood back against the wall so both brothers were clearly in shot.

Lofty shook his head at Max, but he didn't say anything else.

"I love you, Caleb," Ethan mumbled through his thumb.

"Oh, Connie," moaned Cal. "Oh, yes, Connie!"

Lofty and Max looked at each other, then they ran out of the flat and collapsed with laughter.


	23. Chapter 23

_I know it's been weeks... okay, months... I hope you haven't forgotten about this story. I didn't forget, but I had so much else to write and this one fell by the wayside a little bit. This is the beginning of a storyline suggested by **thetailoftwobrothers**._

 _It's been so long, I can't remember if I've already replied to these reviews by pm, but I'll reply anyway as it was lovely reading them._

 **ETWentHome** , thank you for your review. I'm so glad the last chapter made you laugh! There will probably be two or three more chapters (and considering I underestimate everything, there could well be more) - I hope you enjoy them.

 **Becs2202** , I'm glad the last chapter cheered you up, though I'm sorry you needed cheering up. I'm really glad you enjoyed it - it was fun bringing Lofty and Max into the story. Thank you for your review.

 **thetailoftwobrothers** , I'm sorry it's been so long, but here, finally, is the start of your idea! I really hope you like it so far. Thank you for your review. I couldn't resist having Cal talking in his sleep, and what else would he be dreaming about but a woman?

 **AVMabs** , the name Caleb actually means 'dog'... so it looks like it suits him! Thank you for your review - I'm really glad you enjoyed the end of the chapter.

 **mmelon3** , I think I remember replying to the part about Max and Lofty in a pm, but it didn't happen earlier in the story. I just needed a reason for the boys not to call the fire brigade. Thank you for your review - I'm so glad you're enjoying it.

 **Tanith Panic** , I'm glad I was able to put Lofty into the story! He only gets a couple of mentions in this one, I'll try to put him in later chapters because I miss him. Thank you for your review - I'm glad there was so much you enjoyed.

 **Tato Potato** , thank you for your review - and for your extra idea! I really like it and I'm going to write about it alongside thetailoftwobrothers' idea. I hope you enjoy it.

 **beckyboogle** , thank you for your review. I'm so glad you found it funny. This chapter probably isn't as amusing, but I hope you enjoy it.

 **Guest** , thank you for letting me know that Ethan's left-handed. I was sure I'd seen him writing with his right hand, but I must have been thinking of someone else. I'm sorry for the mistake. Thank you for your review - I'm glad you enjoyed it.

 **MissStilinskiHerondale** , thank you for your review and for encouraging me to continue with the story. Don't feel bad - I think there are quite a lot of us who like seeing Cal and Ethan vulnerable and ill/hurt!

* * *

Cal was in that awkward stage where he was starting to get bored with lying in bed, but he wasn't well enough to do anything much. He didn't think his back would let him walk all the way to the living room to watch TV, but he didn't want to watch anything on his phone in case he woke Ethan.

He thought about texting someone, but he didn't feel well enough for that either. He was just thinking about going back to sleep again when a video message arrived.

It was from Max. _funniest video eva! Me n lofty nerly wet our selves!_

Cal made sure the volume was turned down, then he opened up the video and saw himself and Ethan lying in bed. Cal was snoring and Ethan was sucking his thumb.

Cal decided that when he was better, he would kill Max. It was fine for Cal to tease Ethan about his habit of sucking his thumb when he was ill, but he didn't want the rest of the ED laughing at his little brother.

But wait a minute. How had they done it? Cal was sure they hadn't visited him and Ethan for ages.

It didn't make sense.

Video-Ethan began to speak through his thumb. "I love you, Caleb."

Cal laughed so hard, he made himself cough, but it was worth coughing to hear Ethan say that. He never said it when he was awake.

Cal leaned across the bed and poked his brother. "Hey, Nibbles. Wake up. You've got to see this."

"I'm just coming," Ethan said with his eyes shut.

Cal smiled. "I'm really not sure I want to know what you mean by that! Wake up and watch this video."

Ethan opened his eyes, looked rather pathetically around the room, and sniffed a few times. "I really don't think I'm feeling better." He pulled a tissue out of the box next to his pillow and blew his nose. "No, I think actually, I feel even worse. But I'm sure I'll feel better soon."

Cal ruffled Ethan's hair. "I've got something that'll cheer you up." He gave Ethan his phone, turned the volume up and replayed the video. "There. Watch that."

Ethan looked unenthusiastic, but he obediently watched as the image of Cal and Ethan in bed filled the screen. Ethan giggled slightly at Cal's loud snores.

"It's not my fault!" protested Cal. "My nose is blocked."

"So is mine," pointed out Ethan. "And I'm not snoring."

Cal smiled. "But you are sucking your thumb like a big baby."

Ethan looked at the screen again and finally seemed to take in what had happened. He groaned. "Why did you let someone film me, Caleb?"

"That's not my fault either!" said Cal. "I was asleep. I can't stop anyone from doing anything when I'm asleep."

Ethan's eyes widened. "Then how did they get in?"

Cal shrugged. "How am I meant to-" He grabbed a tissue and sneezed into it loudly three times, just as video-Ethan started declaring his love for his big brother.

Real-Ethan paused the video. He patted Cal on the shoulder and looked sympathetic.

"Did you hear what you just said?" said Cal, once he'd blown his nose nice and quietly and had a bit of a moan about how much sneezing hurt his back.

Ethan looked worried. "Did I say something? Am I talking without realising it? Perhaps I'm hallucinating."

"Of course you're not!" said Cal. "I mean you said something on the video. I'll show you again when we get to the end." He'd never actually seen the end. He'd been too busy laughing and trying to wake Ethan up.

"Oh, Connie!" said video-Cal. "Oh, yes, Connie!"

Ethan burst into helpless giggles, helpless coughs and then more helpless giggles.

Cal pulled the duvet over his face and wished he was as near-death as he felt.

"Who filmed it?" said Ethan. He looked more closely at the screen of Cal's phone and read the message that accompanied the video. "Max… I might have guessed really. He said it was him and Lofty, but I'm sure it was mostly Max because…" Ethan's voice trailed away.

"What's up?" said Cal. "Are you feeling worse? I'll get you some lunch and an ibuprofen."

"Cal, it's not just us Max sent the video to," said Ethan in an odd voice that wasn't entirely caused by croakiness. "He sent it to everyone in the ED."

"Oh God: tell me he didn't send it to Mrs Beauchamp," said Cal.

"He didn't send it to Mrs Beauchamp," said Ethan obligingly.

Cal sighed. "He did, didn't he?"

"Sorry," said Ethan. "Yes."

* * *

Ethan really did feel awful. It didn't help when Cal insisted on showing him the video again and Ethan found out he'd declared his love for his brother in his sleep and the whole ED knew about it.

It also didn't help when Cal read out everyone's response to the video. Robyn at least showed some concern for the brothers' welfare, but declared it 'so funny' and 'adorable'. Rita, Iain, Louise, Noel and Dixie seemed to agree with her.

Lily told Max and Lofty it was immoral to break into people's flats; unprofessional to leave the hospital during working hours and inadvisable to go into the bedroom of two people with influenza. Ethan decided he liked Lily's response best, but it would have been nice if she'd been a little bit concerned.

"How am I ever going to go back there?" groaned Cal.

"Look on the bright side," said Ethan. "Perhaps this flu will kill us both."

Cal closed his eyes. "I doubt it."

"But it's possible," said Ethan, though he didn't feel very hopeful at all. All he felt was embarrassed and ill. "So there is some hope that we will both die and never have to face the others."

Cal considered this for a moment. "I suppose one consolation is that you usually are right..."

* * *

Cal was grimacing and blinking back tears of pain. All he wanted to do was go and make some lunch for Ethan so it would be all ready when his little brother woke up, but the simple act of sitting up and getting out of bed became a lot more difficult when you'd strained your back.

This was the first time he'd done it by himself since they'd got back from the hospital. Ethan had kept his promise to help Cal to the bathroom, but Ethan was feeling so ill today and Cal didn't want to force him into any unnecessary exertions.

Cal had managed the sitting-up part, gritting his teeth against the discomfort, but swinging his legs over the side of the bed had nearly made him cry out. Now he was leaning hard on the bedside table, hoping it wouldn't overbalance (it was actually Ethan's), and trying to haul himself into a standing position without screaming.

Cal was gasping with pain and sweating by the time he finally managed to stand up. Slowly, he began the journey from the bed to the door. He knew his back had stiffened up from lying in bed for so long and it probably would get easier as he moved, but it wasn't easy yet. Cal reached the door, leaned against the doorframe for a moment, and realised he'd left his tissues behind.

Cal banged his head against the doorframe (this didn't hurt as much as his back) and went back to get some. By the time he reached the bedroom door for the second time, he felt exhausted, but he knew Ethan would need to eat when he finally woke up and Cal wanted to do something for Ethan for a change.

He began the unbearably long and painful walk to the kitchen, but by the time he reached the sofa, he realised he would have to stop and have a rest. Cal collapsed onto the sofa rather too quickly, sending jolts of pain through his back and making the world spin madly around him.

Cal lay down and closed his eyes. He sneezed violently and cried out with pain, but there was no sign that he'd woken Ethan. Cal wiped his nose and closed his eyes again, deciding he would rest for just a few minutes...


	24. Chapter 24

_I thought I should update this before everyone forgot about it. I'm sorry I neglected it for so long. I'm writing so many stories and I can't keep up with all of them._

 **beckyboogle** , thank you for your review - I'm glad you're still enjoying it. I hope you enjoy the new chapter. I hope you post some more stories soon - I miss them.

 **Tato Potato** , I don't know what Mrs Beauchamp will say when they get back to work - that's something I'll have to think about! One of the reasons why she's a good character is because she's unpredictable. She might be angry, awkward, amused... or even turned on! Thank you for your review.

 **Guest** , thank you for your review. I'm sorry I disappeared again! I hope I won't leave so long between updates next time.

 **Tanith Panic** , I agree with Lily too, though I do think Lofty was genuinely worried and wanted to check they were okay. I'm glad you like Ethan sucking his thumb! I think I might have stolen that idea from another story. Thank you for your review.

 **thetailoftwobrothers** , thank you for your review. I'm sorry it's taking me so long to write your story idea - it's such a good one, but I have so much to write! There will be at least one more chapter after this one, but I'm hoping it won't be such a long wait.

 **MissStilinskiHerondale** , don't worry, you're not the only one who secretly enjoys Cal being in pain! If anything, he's in even more pain in this chapter. I'm glad you're enjoying it - thank you for your review.

 **Gillian Kearney Fan** , I feel sorry for them too. They really don't deserve all this agony I'm inflicting on them. I'm glad you liked the video - I have to admit I'd enjoy watching it! Thank you for your review.

 **ETWentHome** , Cal has no luck at all - especially not when I'm writing about him! I'm so glad you liked the way I wrote their embarrassment and Cal's pain. I'm sure Cal would love it if you hugged him! Thank you for your review.

Thank you, **justafatpenguin** , **ILoveVampireDiaries** and **casualtyfics24** for the follows and favourites.

* * *

When Cal opened his eyes again, he immediately knew that more than a few minutes had passed and Ethan might well be awake and hungry by now. Cal had managed to twist himself into a very odd position and his back was agony, but he knew he couldn't stay there. It wouldn't be good for his back to remain in this position and Ethan needed to eat.

Cal lifted his head from the cushion and started to uncurl his throbbing spine.

He was expecting excruciating pain and he got it.

What he hadn't expected was that he wouldn't be able to sit up.

* * *

"Ethan, you're needed in Resus," said Louise.

"Thank you." Ethan smiled at the receptionist and made his way to Resus. To his surprise, almost the whole team was in there. Connie, Zoe, Dylan, Cal, Lily, Rita, Tess, Charlie, Robyn, Lofty, Big Mac, Max… even Dixie and Iain.

"There you are, Dr Hardy," said Connie. "We've been waiting-" She stopped, staring at Ethan.

Ethan wondered if he had a stain on his scrubs. He looked down and knew immediately there wasn't a stain. There couldn't be a stain on his scrubs because he wasn't wearing any scrubs. All he was wearing was a bright pink thong.

Ethan watched as his colleagues collapsed with laughter. He wanted to turn and run away, but turning round didn't seem a good idea considering his choice of underwear.

"Ethan! Ethan!"

They were all chanting his name now. Or Cal was. Cal's was the only voice he could hear, though actually it sounded very faint and far away.

Ethan opened his eyes.

He didn't think he'd ever been so glad to wake up.

"Ethan! Ethan!"

Ethan sighed, then coughed. Couldn't Cal do anything without needing his poorly brother to help him?

He hauled himself out of bed and stood there for a moment, waiting for the dizziness to recede. Then he put on his glasses, picked up his tissues, and staggered out of the bedroom.

"Ethan!" said Cal. This was followed by a sneeze and a scream.

Ethan tried to walk faster, but his body wouldn't obey. He forced himself onwards, using one hand to hold onto the wall for support and the other for holding his tissues, which he needed to use about once every five seconds. The flat was spinning and his legs were trembling badly, but he had to get to Cal.

Cal was lying on the sofa. His face was pale and his breathing was almost like sobs.

"Cal, what's wrong?" said Ethan anxiously. "Are you feeling worse?"

"My… back," gasped Cal.

"Okay." Ethan's head felt fuzzy, but he was fairly sure he knew what to do. He tried to crouch beside Cal, but his legs gave way and he ended up half-sitting, half-kneeling. But that would do. He looked at Cal. He was all curled up and he didn't look at all comfortable. "Why are you sleeping out here?"

"I was just sitting down for a minute!" moaned Cal.

Ethan sneezed. "Sorry, Cal." He blew his nose, hoping it would clear his head as well as his nose, but it didn't really do either. "Um… okay. Let's see." He tried to think. "I don't think it's a very good idea for you to stay where you are."

"Oh God, Nibbles, if that's the best you can do, I might as well call NHS Direct."

"Do you want me to help you or not?" said Ethan.

Cal closed his eyes. "Please help me, Ethan."

"Okay, I'm going to help you sit up," said Ethan. "I'm afraid it probably will hurt, but if you get your back into a more natural position, that will ease the pain."

"Just make it stop!" pleaded Cal.

"Right." Ethan held onto the arm of the sofa as he tried to stand up. His legs wobbled, but he eventually got there. He bent over Cal and put one hand on his shoulder, resting the other arm along his spine. "Cal, I'm going to push you up into a sitting position. Okay?"

Cal nodded. "Okay."

Ethan gently began to ease him upright, but Cal was heavy and Ethan felt ready to collapse. But he couldn't do that. He had to help Cal. His nose began to tickle and he sniffed hard, trying to avert a sneeze.

"Ow!" exclaimed Cal. "Ethan, that… oh God… Ethan, stop… it hurts…" These were the more polite things that Cal said to him.

"Just a little bit further," said Ethan, aware of the tears in Cal's eyes but pretending not to look. "There. Just a little bit… further. Almost there. There you are, Cal." Ethan sniffed again and quickly grabbed a tissue so he could wipe his nose. Once this was done, he helped Cal to lean forward slightly while he propped up the sofa cushions. "There you are."

"It really hurts, Ethan," moaned Cal.

"I know." Ethan put a gentle hand on Cal's shoulder. "I'll make you something to eat and get your medication."

"I'm not hungry," said Cal miserably. "I feel sick."

Ethan straightened up, fighting another wave of dizziness. "You'll feel much sicker if you take ibuprofen on an empty stomach. I'll get you a couple of plain biscuits."

All he had to do was walk to the bedroom, walk to the kitchen and then walk back to Cal.

Ethan didn't know how he was going to manage that.

"Thanks." Cal's voice wobbled.

Ethan tried to reassure Cal in his nasal, raspy voice. "It'll be okay, Cal. Don't worry. I'm here."

* * *

Cal finished the biscuits Ethan had brought him, then he wiped his nose on one of Ethan's tissues (they were nearer than his) and tried not to feel annoyed with Ethan. It wasn't really Ethan's fault. He had told Cal not to carry him and it wasn't Ethan's fault Cal was ill. Really, it was the other way round.

When Ethan finally reappeared with Cal's tablets, it seemed to take him forever to get to Cal's side. His face was very pale apart from his nose and he looked extremely shaky. Cal automatically started to stand up so he could help him, but something in his back seemed to twist and Cal groaned in pain.

"I'm sorry I took so long," said Ethan, and flopped onto the sofa beside him.

Cal sniffed. "Ethan, it hurts. It really, really, really hurts."

Ethan looked at him through watery eyes. "Did you say you had a scan?"

"I don't know," said Cal. "I can't remember."

Ethan handed him a tablet and a glass of water. "Have your medication and we'll see if that helps. If not, we'd better go to the ED and see if we can get you can get some stronger painkillers."

Cal groaned. Going to the ED really didn't appeal to him at the moment. Firstly because it would involve moving and secondly because it would involve seeing people who'd heard him lusting over Connie in his sleep.

He felt Ethan stroking his arm. "How did you say you hurt it?"

"Lifting y-" Cal stopped. "Lifting a patient. It was my fault. I wasn't doing it properly. I felt awful so I was trying to move as little as possible."

"That wasn't very sensible," said Ethan.

Cal felt a surge of annoyance and thought about telling Ethan the truth. But then Ethan started sneezing and coughing violently and Cal's annoyance faded to compassion.

"When am I going to feel better?" Ethan whimpered into his tissue.

"Soon, Ethan." Cal gritted his teeth as he lifted his arm and put it around Ethan's waist. "Soon. I promise."


	25. Chapter 25

**CBloom2** , there's nothing quite like putting Cal and Ethan through the wringer. It's quite worrying considering I do actually love them! Thank you for your review.

 **Tato Potato** , thank you for your review. Ethan isn't really quite himself at the moment! Not even his protective instincts are working properly.

 **Bonnie Sveen Fan** , thank you for your review. Cal and Ethan really aren't having a good time!

 **Tanith Panic** , I will cure them eventually! I've tried to cure them a couple of times, but I keep getting requests to continue the story - which I'm not complaining about because it's amazing! Thank you for your review.

 **ETWentHome** , thank you for your review - I'm glad you enjoy the chapter! There isn't much more the ED can do for Cal, but I have a couple of ideas...

 **DoubleNatural** , thank you! I was a bit nervous about posting that joke in case someone from NHS Direct got offended, but I can definitely imagine someone like Cal not having a very high opinion of them. I'm glad you liked it! Thank you for your review.

Thank you to **Casualty cal and** **Ethan** , **SorchaGleek97** and **Double Natural** for the follows and favourites (and to everyone else who has already followed and favourited).

* * *

The lift had never chosen a worse time to break.

Ethan and Cal were inching their way slowly and shakily down the stairs. Cal was holding on to the banister, biting his lips against the pain. Ethan had one arm around Cal's waist, either to support Cal's back or to keep himself upright – he honestly wasn't sure. In his other hand, he held the bag with their tissues and medication.

"Can we sit down for a bit?" said Cal in a weak voice.

"No!" said Ethan in alarm, but he softened his voice when he saw the hurt look on Cal's face. "I'm sorry, Cal, but if you sit down, we might not be able to get you up again."

Cal gave him a look that was somewhere between annoyance and concern and they went down a couple more stairs, only for Ethan to ask Cal to stop. He fumbled in his bag for a tissue and managed to get one out just before he sneezed. "Sorry, Cal."

"Ethan, it's okay. It's not your fault," said Cal. He looked worriedly at his brother. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea. You should be in bed, not getting me up and down stairs."

"I can't let you go on your own!" said Ethan, rather surprised by the strength of the protective feelings that rushed through him at the thought. He decided to put it down as another symptom of his illness.

"I can probably manage," said Cal. He lifted his arm carefully and put it around Ethan. "You go back to bed."

Ethan shook his head. "No. I'm coming with you. Come on: not far to go now."

* * *

Cal and Ethan faced one another beside the car. It might have been a more convincing stand-off if they'd been standing in the middle of the car park with guns, rather than slumped against the car with tissues, but Cal knew his brother wouldn't back down easily.

"You can't drive, Ethan," he said. "If you feel anything like I did, you're dizzy and faint. And driving and sneezing isn't fun."

"But moving your arms really hurts your back, Caleb," said Ethan. "And you can't drive without moving your arms."

"Yes, I can!" said Cal triumphantly. "I drove with my feet once and I didn't crash or anything. And I was drunk too!"

He had to admit Ethan didn't seem very impressed by that. "Right, well, leaving aside the number of laws you were breaking, I rather doubt you had a bad back at the time. So stop arguing and let me drive."

Cal hesitated. He felt like he was losing this argument, but he was worried about Ethan. "How about we share the driving?"

Ethan sighed loudly. "Okay. I'll drive there and you can drive back. Now get in the car."

"Okay," said Cal reluctantly. "Just be careful, okay?"

"What would you know about being careful?" retorted Ethan.

"Well, I don't have any kids," said Cal. "So probably quite a lot!" He inserted his body into the car and sat still for a moment, perspiration on his brow as he tried to convince himself he wasn't dying.

"We'll be there soon, Cal," said Ethan consolingly. Then he sneezed and the car shot backwards, almost into the car opposite.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive, Nibbles?" said Cal.

"You are driving," muttered Ethan as they left the car park. "Driving me crazy, that is."

"That's what all the girls say," said Cal, though with a smaller smirk than he'd usually have managed.

"I don't doubt it," said Ethan drily. "But here's a newsflash for you, Cal. It's not always a compliment."

* * *

It seemed like a long way from Ethan's parking space into the ED. The world was spinning and all Ethan wanted was to go and sit down, but Cal was moving very slowly and painfully. Ethan couldn't possibly leave him - even though Cal had told him more than once to: "Go on ahead, get yourself in the warm and sit down before you fall down, for God's sake, Nibbles!"

"Stop: need a tissue," mumbled Ethan.

Cal seemed quite happy to stop. He waited till Ethan was ready, then he put his arm around Ethan's waist (Ethan didn't miss the way this made him wince with pain) and they carried on walking. A few stops later, they stopped again while Ethan coughed. Then they started up again, moving slower and slower as a mist swirled around Ethan's eyes and with every step, he wondered if this was the moment where his legs would cease to be able to bear his weight.

The entrance to the ED was getting closer. Ethan told himself he could make it that far. Just a few more steps. Just a few more seconds of…

"Cal!" gasped Ethan urgently.

* * *

Cal instinctively caught Ethan in his arms. Normally, he could have picked Ethan up and carried him into the ED without any difficulty.

Today, he screamed out in agony and collapsed to the ground.

Cal's body slammed painfully onto the concrete, but he managed to break Ethan's fall and ended up with his little brother's head pillowed against his chest. Cal closed his eyes, fighting pain and nausea. He worked out that if he was sick, he could turn his head to the side and avoid messing up Ethan's hair. He also worked out that the movement sent a bolt of fire through his back. But better that than being sick on your little brother.

Cal wasn't sure what they were going to do now. He didn't think he could move – and even if he could, he doubted he'd be able to lift Ethan. But if they stayed here, they were in danger of being run over by an ambulance.

Or a motorbike, he thought, as one such vehicle roared into the carpark, apparently heading straight for them.

It stopped what felt like inches from Cal's head. The ground beneath him seemed to vibrate and the smell of the exhaust did nothing for his nausea.

The engine was switched off. "Dr Knight, is there a reason for this unseemly behaviour?" asked Connie.

"Ethan fainted and I couldn't support his weight because of my back," said Cal miserably. It _would_ be Connie who discovered him like this. Why couldn't it have been Rita? She'd be kind and she wouldn't make sarcastic digs either.

"I see," said Connie, her gaze running swiftly over Ethan, though her voice didn't change. "And can I ask what you're doing back at work?"

"We're not," said Cal confusingly. "Well, we are. Obviously. But we're not."

Connie sighed. "You're patients, I assume."

Cal nodded.

"Well, I'm used to you not being able to stand on your own two feet, Dr Knight, but I'd hardly expect it of Dr Hardy."

"Dr Hardy is ill!" said Cal reproachfully.

"Then I suppose I'd better fetch a couple of wheelchairs," said Connie resignedly. "Unless, of course, 'push chairs' would be a more appropriate term."

Ethan began to stir. His breathing quickened. "Wha… where…"

"Dr Hardy, it's Mrs Beauchamp," said Connie.

"Who?" said Ethan, and sniffed loudly.

Connie's voice deepened with sarcasm. "Mrs Beauchamp. Your boss. The no-doubt rather uncomfortable pillow you've got your head on is your brother You fainted and he wasn't strong enough to hold you."

"My _back_ wasn't strong enough!" Cal corrected her.

"Don't feel well," whimpered Ethan, sniffing. "Need a tissue."

Cal stroked his hair, remembering a six-year-old Ethan saying the same thing. Actually, he could remember him saying it at various different ages. "Try your pocket." Ethan had dropped the bag and Cal couldn't reach it with Ethan leaning on him.

Ethan was able to find a tissue and use it, but he didn't show very much interest in getting his head off Cal's chest. Cal had to admit he had decidedly mixed feelings about it himself. It was making it even more difficult for him to breathe and he was sure it was making the pain worse, but once Ethan had got up, _Cal_ would have to as well.

That was something he was looking forward to about as much as his next hangover.

* * *

Ethan didn't think sitting up had ever been so difficult. He kept catching himself starting to lean his head towards Cal's shoulder, which wasn't the kind of thing he'd want to do in public even if Cal hadn't been in pain. Luckily, Cal didn't seem to notice, but Ethan knew it was because he was in too much pain to care what Ethan was doing.

Connie had got the wheelchairs very quickly, but she'd decided they didn't need to be seen straight away and had left them in the waiting room.

Ethan let his head drop onto his chest and sniffed loudly. Not for the first time.

"Ethan, if you keep doing that, I'll have to change your name from Nibbles to Snuffles."

Ethan sniffed even more loudly to show he was too ill to care, but then he caught a disapproving look from the patient next to him and quickly got out his tissues.

"Why don't you go home?" said Cal sympathetically. "I can get a taxi."

"I'm fine. Never been better," said Ethan, and wondered if that was the biggest lie he'd ever told. He looked at Cal worriedly. His brother's forehead was damp and his breathing shallow. "Would you like me to go and tell Noel to bump you up the queue a bit?"

Cal smiled weakly. "Is it just me or does that sound rude?"

"It's just you," said Ethan firmly.

"Thought it might be," said Cal.

* * *

Two hours later, they were still sitting there.

"This place is rubbish," moaned Cal.

Ethan looked at him sympathetically. "I did hear their best doctor is off sick."

Cal tried to smile through the pain. "Yeah. I heard that too. Good-looking guy, he is. A real babe magnet."

"That's very kind of you to say so, Caleb," said Ethan. "Thank you."

Cal glared at him. "That's not funny."

"You would have found it funny if you'd said it," said Ethan.

"Probably," admitted Cal. He tried to lift his arms so he could run hands through his hair, but his back denied him even this simple pleasure. "Oh God, Ethan. It really hurts!"

"I'll go and speak to Noel," said Ethan. He stood up, only for his legs to give way.

"Ethan!" Cal tried to break his fall, but his back went into spasm and he couldn't do anything but scream. Luckily, Ethan landed safely in his chair.

"Cal, are you-" Ethan had to stop to cough.

"Ethan, are you-" Cal desperately tried to hold back a sneeze. His back would not appreciate that. It really wouldn't. And nothing knew how to make Cal suffer quite as well as his back.

"I'm fine," they both said as soon as they could talk again.

Immediately, they both responded: "Liar!"


	26. Chapter 26

**ETWentHome** , thank you for your review and for letting me know I'd uploaded the wrong chapter! I'm really glad you found Cal and Ethan lying in the car park funny. I was worried it might not be as it's really not funny at all for them!

 **Jynx999** , thank you for letting me know I'd uploaded the wrong chapter - I'm flattered you knew the story well enough to notice! I hope you enjoyed the correct chapter.

 **thetailoftwobrothers** , thank you for your review - I'm really glad you're enjoying it. It's been quite fun writing about them getting on each other's nerves but unable to stop worrying about each other! By the way, your idea will happen in the next chapter.

 **CBloom2** , they won't like being told this, but I think they are quite similar in lots of ways! Stubbornness is definitely a quality they share. I think they would be grateful for anything you can do for them as they can't do much for themselves. Thank you for your review.

 **Tanith Panic** , I think part of the reason I love them is because they're always fighting and always caring about each other. I think I can promise at least two more chapters before I cure them! Unless I get some more ideas... Thank you for your review.

 **SophF95** , thank you for your review - I'm really happy you're enjoying it. It's really kind of you to say I'm a good writer. I sometimes feel mean for writing about bad things happening to Cal and Ethan, but all stories are about things going wrong and it's not like the Casualty writers are never mean to them!

Thank you to **Silvia-Photo** , **Soph595** and **Gabriella Somerfield** for the follows and favourite.

* * *

Ethan just wanted to go to sleep. His eyelids were drooping and even sitting down made him feel as though he was going to fall. He needed to wipe his nose, but his hand felt heavy. He thought about resting his head on his knees so he could reach better, but his head felt even heavier than his hand and he didn't want to overbalance and fall off the chair.

He compromised by letting his head and his hand meet halfway, but then he had to sit up again and that wasn't easy when he didn't have any energy so he stayed where he was.

"Ethan?" said Cal. "What are you doing?"

"I don't know," mumbled Ethan. "I don't know what I'm doing. Do you know what I'm doing?"

"Go home!" said Cal. "You're too ill to be here."

Ethan looked at Cal, confused. "How can I be too ill for hospital?"

"You know what I mean!" said Cal.

Ethan closed his eyes and put his head on Cal's lap but reluctantly decided it was too public to suck his thumb.

"Okay, Ethan. I'll tell you what you're doing," said Cal. "You've just put your head in my lap in a public place. And not just any public place. The public place where we happen to work. So at any moment, Mrs Beauchamp or Zoe or Dylan or Lily might walk out and see you with your head in my lap. Are you completely sure this is the best way of progressing in your career?"

"I don't know," said Ethan. He'd lost the thread of what Cal was saying some time ago.

"Well, just take my word for it and sit up," said Cal.

Ethan stayed where he was. "Please."

Cal sounded confused. "Please what?"

"'Please get your head out of my lap'," said Ethan.

"I haven't got my head in your lap!" said Cal in annoyance. "You're the one with your head in _my_ lap!"

"No, you've got to say please," said Ethan.

Cal groaned. "Ethan, you're not making any sense at all."

Ethan was slightly offended. "Yes, I am. You asked me to sit up and you didn't say please."

"Oh, Ethan, would you just grow up!" Cal sounded angry now.

"Please," Ethan reminded him.

"Ethan, will you _please_ just get your head out of my lap and _please_ grow up before I pick you up by your arms and shake you till your ears fall off?" said Cal.

Ethan wiped his nose. "You can't pick me up. Not with your bad back."

" _Ethan!_ " Cal really did sound as though he might kill him.

"Dr Knight and Dr Hardy!" Connie's voice rang out across the ED.

"Who?" said Ethan.

"What?" said Cal.

"Follow me, please," said Connie.

Ethan managed to haul his head from Cal's lap. " _She_ said please. And she's miles more important than you." He got to his feet and stumbled between the rows of chairs, wishing they'd been allowed to keep their wheelchairs.

Cal was staggering along behind him. "Don't tell me you're our doctor," he said to Connie.

"Oh, Dr Knight!" said Connie reproachfully. "I thought you liked me!"

* * *

Connie led them into a cubicle. "Don't just stand there like an idiot. Get your shirt off."

Cal stared at her, wondering if he'd misheard.

Connie shook her head, sighing. "No, not you, Dr Hardy. You need to keep warm. I meant Dr Knight."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mrs Beauchamp!" said Ethan, blushing and putting his top back on.

Cal gasped with pain and did his best not to groan as he stripped to the waist and then stood there, shivering.

Connie pointed to the bed. "No, you're no use to me standing. I want you in bed, Dr Knight." Her voice softened. "Or can I call you Cal?"

The problem with Connie was that Cal never could tell if she was flirting, making fun of him or was just having a perfectly serious conversation. In his experience, it was always either the second or the third, but he liked to think the first remained a possibility.

It would be so typical of Cal's life right now if Connie decided she liked Cal just when he was too badly-injured to do anything about it.

"You can call me Cal," he said as he lowered himself painfully onto the bed. "Can I call you Connie?"

Connie's voice was cold. "No, you may not."

Ethan seemed to find that amusing, but he certainly wasn't laughing when he started having a coughing fit that bent him almost double.

Connie sighed. "There's a chair over there, Ethan. Sit on it. And please try to keep your germs to yourself."

"Yes, Mrs Beauchamp." Ethan lurched dizzily around the bed and collapsed onto the chair, sneezing twice. "Cal, have you got the tissues?"

"You've got them," said Cal. "Unless you left them in the waiting room."

Ethan sounded like he might cry. "I think I did. I'm sorry, Cal."

Cal wasn't sure if the sniffles coming from Ethan were due to tears or something he didn't want to think about.

"Dr Hardy, you get more like your brother every day," said Connie. She found a tissue box and threw it to Ethan, who missed it and nearly fell off his chair. "Now, I don't want to hear another word out of you unless I ask you a question."

Ethan obediently didn't say a word. Cal couldn't resist teasing him. "Ethan, say thank you to Mrs Beauchamp for the tissues. Good manners are very important, you know."

Cal looked at Ethan's furious face and decided it was probably a good thing Ethan was banned from speaking. If he'd been able to, he might have said something extremely rude.

By Ethan's standards, anyway.

"On your side, please, Cal," said Connie. "No, other side, please. I want to see your backside."

 _She wants to see my WHAT?_

Cal tried not to whimper as he rolled over, but he did get a few tears in his eyes.

Ethan gave him a tissue and moved his chair so he could hold Cal's hand. Cal honestly couldn't tell if Ethan was trying to comfort him or embarrass him. From the glazed look in Ethan's eyes, it was possible he didn't know either.

"Just to warn you, Cal," said Connie, "I'm probably going to make you scream."

"Maybe one day I'll make you scream too," said Cal, through gritted teeth.

"Oh, you already have," said Connie. "Whether it was with laughter or something else, I'll leave you to decide. Now, does this hurt?"

"No," said Cal, trying to sound nonchalant. "That doesn't hurt at- arrrrgh!"

Connie sounded very concerned. So concerned, she could only be pretending. "Am I really hurting you that much, Cal? Are you sure you're not faking it? Do you often fake it?"

"You really are hurting me," whimpered Cal.

"You don't like being poked?" said Connie. "You prefer to do the poking yourself? You'd rather be the giver than the receiver?"

Ethan blew his nose. At first, Cal thought he was hiding a smile, but when Ethan took his tissue away, it was clear he felt ready to die and probably wasn't attending to Cal's conversation with Connie at all.

Cal decided to be grateful for small mercies.

He wasn't getting any mercy from Connie, that was for sure.

Cal lay and whimpered as Connie pummelled his back, lifting his arms and shoulders. "Are you trying to hurt me?" he asked pathetically.

"Oh, Cal," said Connie, with far too much sympathy in her voice for it to be genuine. "Oh, _yes_ , Cal!"

Cal tensed up even more.

 _Oh God, does that mean she saw the video?_

 _And if she has, does it mean she likes it or she hates it?_

He watched as Ethan rested his elbow on his knee and tried to use his hand to hold his head up.

"I'm sorry, Mrs Beauchamp, but will this take long?" said Cal, through the agony. "I'm worried about Ethan. I think I'd better take him home soon."

"Oh, don't worry, Cal," said Connie. "I won't be long. But I really don't think either of you are in any condition to drive home. I'll take you both in my car."

 _You'll WHAT us in your car?_

"When you say you'll 'take us' in your car," said Cal, "do you mean you're going to give us a lift?"

Connie sighed. "Cal, I know you have flu, but that shouldn't stop you from understanding simple English. I know it's outside the clinical lead job description, but asking someone else to give you a ride is far more complicated than giving you one myself. Are you able to swallow easily?"

"I, um… why?"

Connie walked around the bed so Cal could see her. "I'm trying to decide whether to give you normal codeine or soluble tablets. Perhaps you could tell me what you thought I meant – I really am very intrigued."

Ethan chose that very opportune moment to have another coughing fit. Connie waited till he'd finished, then she took his pulse and temperature and removed his glasses so she could look into his eyes.

"I think the only thing we can do with you is get you into bed," said Connie, as she returned his glasses to his nose. "It looks like I'll have to give you both a bit of seeing-to when I get you home."

Ethan's eyes widened slightly and his mouth dropped open. He looked at Cal with something like alarm.

"Don't worry, Ethan," said Cal. "Mrs Beauchamp just wants to look after us."

"Yes, I just want to play doctor," said Connie innocently. "You don't get nearly as many chances as you might expect when you're clinical lead. I get very frustrated sometimes… I'll just go and sort out your prescription, Cal."

Cal and Ethan both laughed nervously as Connie left the cubicle.

"Do you think…?" said Ethan, his eyes wide.

"I honestly don't know what to think," said Cal. "Knowing Connie, almost certainly not."

Ethan carefully supported Cal's back as he helped him to sit up. "But whatever she has in mind, we're not in for an easy ride?"

"I actually think she's going to make it very hard," said Cal.


	27. Chapter 27

_Thank you for all your reviews! Do you have any ideas of where you'd like the story to go after this? I was thinking the next chapter could be the last as I'm not sure what else could happen._

 **Jynx999** , thank you for your review - I really appreciate it. I'm glad you like the combination of sickfic and humour. I tried to include some more conventional sickfic moments in this, just to see if I could, but I found it really difficult!

 **Tanith Panic** , not much Connie in this chapter, unfortunately, but she might be in the last one. Excellent point about the dangers of shaking Ethan in his current condition! I might have referred to that in this chapter. Thank you for your review.

 **Teeloganroryflan** , thank you for your review - I'm so glad you liked Connie. I knew she had to be the one to treat Cal and Ethan, but I wasn't sure how she should behave at first... it's a relief that my idea worked!

 **tracys dream** , thank you for your review - and for reading another of my stories! I'm so happy you enjoyed the chapter.

 **Tato Potato** , I think you're right about the brothers having an interesting time with Connie - I think she might continue to make Cal feel uncomfortable in the chapter after this! Thank you for your review.

 **SophF95** , thank you for your review. I had a lot of fun writing Connie once I finally decided that she would tease and confuse Cal. Cal's probably lucky Ethan's too ill to enjoy it! I'm really glad you enjoyed the chapter.

 **ETWentHome** , Connie does seem to like teasing Cal sometimes and I don't think she'd be able to resist that video - but she is a doctor and they both need medical help. Thank you for your review - I'm so happy you enjoyed it.

 _Thank you to **tracys dream** and **xCHOCOPOPx** for the follows and favourite._

* * *

Ethan felt ill.

He'd felt ill before, of course, but that was nothing to the way he felt now.

His head felt as though it was being thumped with hammers, his nose could probably have filled a swimming pool and his body ached as though he'd just done a marathon. Or a week's worth of double shifts.

Cal was sitting on the bed, an expression of pain on his face that only increased when he started coughing.

"Cal, do you think I might be going to die?" said Ethan. "I did think it was impossible, but I really don't feel very well and I want to go home!"

His voice wobbled a bit and some of the agony on Cal's face was replaced by sympathy. He gritted his teeth and moved very gingerly along the bed. "Why don't you lie down, Nibbles? You can put your head in my lap if you like now there's no-one watching."

"What if Mrs Beauchamp comes back?" said Ethan in a little voice, but he recognised a good offer when he heard one. He also knew more than enough about medicine to know that lying down was a very good idea.

"She'll probably be a while," said Cal. "She's got other patients and we'll have to wait for my prescription."

Ethan pulled a few tissues out of the box and lay down on the bed with his head in Cal's lap. "That feels better," he admitted. He still felt a bit achey and dizzy, but lying down was definitely easier than sitting on a chair.

He felt Cal stroking his hair, his fingers gentle on Ethan's scalp.

"That's nice," said Ethan, as he wiped his nose. "It's not hurting your back, is it?"

"No," said Cal, sounding exactly the same as he did when Ethan asked him if he'd done the washing up or paid the electricity bill. In other words, he sounded like he was lying.

"You shouldn't do it if it hurts," mumbled Ethan. "Why's it so bright in here?"

Cal took Ethan's glasses off. "That's something I've never understood. Close your eyes, Nibbles."

Ethan closed his eyes. "I thought I told you not to call me Nibbles at work."

"We're not working," Cal reminded him.

"Oh. True." Ethan felt Cal massaging one of his temples. "That feels nice. We're both really ill, aren't we? If you were well, you'd never do anything nice like this and if I was well, I don't think I'd let you do it. So we must be nearly dying."

He could tell Cal was smiling. " _You're_ very ill, Nibbles. I'm probably only slightly ill now. But my back really does hurt. I don't know what Connie was doing to me, but I'm sure she's set me back weeks."

"Set you _back_ ," said Ethan, amused despite how terrible he was feeling.

Cal groaned. "Very funny, Ethan."

"Are you going to get me _back_ for saying that?" Ethan started giggling and made himself cough. "Cal, my throat and my chest hurt."

"Serves you right," said Cal.

Ethan sniffed. "Don't be mean. I'm not very well. I think you should take me _back_ home."

Cal sighed. "You're not going to shut up, are you, Nib-" He stopped to sneeze. "Oh, that hurt!" He sneezed again.

"Here." Ethan offered Cal one of his tissues. "I haven't used it. I promise." He thought about telling Cal that if he had used it, he could give it _back_ to him, but he decided he felt too ill for jokes.

Cal blew his nose. "Oh God, Nibbles, _how_ did I spend all that time at medical school without learning that you use your back to blow your nose?"

"Maybe you were hungover for that lecture," suggested Ethan. "Though actually, I don't remember anything about that either. Maybe you've discovered a whole new medical fact. You should write a paper on it for Mrs Beauchamp. Suggest it to her when she comes back."

"I don't think I'm quite _that_ ill," said Cal.

* * *

"I wish Connie would hurry up with my painkillers," moaned Cal. "I think I'm dying and so are you."

Ethan wiped his nose. "I'd like to meet the idiot who made you hurt your back," he said fiercely.

Cal wondered if Ethan was ill enough to meet himself. Patients hallucinated all kinds of strange things. He'd even met a woman once who'd described him as ugly. He'd referred her to the psychiatric ward.

"Trust me," said Cal. "You won't get to meet him. Though he's actually not an idiot. He just acts like one."

It was Ethan's turn to sneeze now. "Cal, stop talking about yourself." He gasped in horror. "Cal! You'll never guess what I've just done!"

"Now let me see," said Cal, thinking. "The last time you said that to me, you'd wet yourself." He looked at Ethan suspiciously. "You haven't, have you?"

"No, of course not!" said Ethan, blushing at the memory. "But I've dropped all my tissues on the floor and I can't reach them. And I can't ask you to pick them up for me because you've hurt that body part you don't want me to mention."

They were disturbed by the sound of laughter and discovered two people looking through the curtains at them. "Leave these two alone for five minutes and they're in bed together," said Max.

"Max, they are ill," said Lofty reproachfully.

"Or that's what they've told us!" said Max. "So, which body part is Ethan too polite to mention then, Cal?"

"My back," said Cal.

Max looked like he was enjoying himself. "I don't think Ethan would have a problem saying it if it was your back."

"Leave it, Max," said Lofty. He picked up Ethan's tissues for him. "There you are, mate. And I'll put the box where you can reach them."

"Thanks, Lofty." Ethan blew his nose. "That did hurt my nose and my head, but I don't think it hurt my you-know-what."

Cal sighed. "Ethan, just say 'back'. It's fine. Say it as much as you like."

"But then we'll be _back_ to square one," said Ethan.

Cal glared at hm. "Are you sure you don't want me to pick you up by your ears and shake you till your glasses fall off?"

"You can if you like," said Ethan. "But it's going to hurt your back; _you're_ the one who'll have to pay for my new glasses and have you ever thought what might happen if you shake someone who has a runny nose? On your head be it, Cal."

"Urgh!" said Lofty.

"Which head?" said Max.

Cal had to admit Ethan had a point. As usual. Cal was sure he'd hate him if he didn't love him so much.

 _What? What did I think that for?_

"Thank you, Caleb," said Ethan.

 _Oh God, did I say that out loud? Please tell me I did not say out loud that I love Ethan._

 _That's private, personal, classified information._

"Thank you for what?" said a panic-stricken Cal.

"For not shaking me," said Ethan.

Max shook his head. "You two are weird. Especially you, Ethan."

"Don't say things like that about my brother!" said Cal. "I'm much weirder than he is."

Of the three of them, he didn't know who looked more surprised.

"Well, not much weirder," said Cal quickly. "Just a little bit. You know. Some of the time."

"Max. Lofty. What is this: a freak show?" said Connie, as she re-entered the room. She answered her own question. "Quite possibly. But do you two have permission to watch it? No, I think not."

Max and Lofty slunk out of the cubicle, but Lofty was brave enough to call out that he hoped Cal and Ethan were feeling better soon.

"I think this unattended bag belongs to you, Ethan," said Connie. She was holding the bag Ethan had left in the waiting room. "Noel was all ready to call security."

"I'm sorry," said Ethan. "Can we go home soon, please, Mrs Beauchamp? I'm tired and I don't feel very well."

Cal stroked his hair. "Yes, Ethan, I'm sure we can go home now."

"Just don't help him to sit up, Dr Knight," said Connie. "Dr Hardy has done more than enough damage to your back already without adding to it."

Ethan, who had been looking like he wouldn't be able to sit up on his own ever again, sat up from sheer shock. "What have I done to Cal's back?" he asked, as Cal shook his head at Connie, held his finger to his lips, and made little whimpers of pain caused by the aforementioned activities.

"You let him carry you to bed, I understand," said Connie.

"You… you… you mean it was my fault?" said Ethan, his lip wobbling.

"No!" said Cal. "It was my fault for not keeping my back straight when I lifted you."

"But that was when you hurt yourself?" asked Ethan, sniffing.

Cal managed to put his hands on Ethan's arms. "Ethan, mate, it doesn't matter. Don't worry about it."

Ethan looked at him through watery eyes. "I'm so sorry I hurt you, Cal!"

It hurt, but Cal hugged him anyway. "It's okay, Ethan. It wasn't your fault."


	28. Chapter 28

_I'm sorry I haven't updated for ages. I have two shortish chapters written and I plan to write at least one more after that._

 **Tato Potato** , thank you for your review. I'm glad you think Ethan's concern for Cal is sweet - he'll be even more anxious to help Cal as much as he can now he knows he caused the injury.

 **tracys dream** , thank you for your review - I'm so glad you think Cal and Ethan are adorable in this story.

 **CBloom2** , I think poor Ethan is going to feel very guilty! I'm afraid they're not going to get better in this chapter or the next, though I think Cal's flu is almost better. Thank you for your review.

 **ETWentHome** , I think even an ill Ethan would have trouble resisting a few puns! But I don't think he's in a joking mood at all now he knows he caused Cal's injury. Thank you for your review.

 **T** **anith Panic** , I'm sorry about the disgusting image! It was an accident. I was trying to think what Ethan might say and that came into my head. When I found out it could imply something else, I'm afraid I couldn't resist! Thank you for your review.

 **Gingersnaps2507** , thank you for you review - and your idea! I really like it and I'd like to use it in Chapter 30, which might or might not be the final chapter. I'm so glad you like the story - I enjoy your sickfics too.

 _Thank you to **tazchy** for the favourite._

* * *

Ethan was trying not to cry.

It seemed like he had a lot of reasons to cry at the moment, but he was determined not to do it if he could help it. He felt terrible for hurting Cal's back – and as Cal had so tried to make sure Ethan wouldn't find out he was responsible, it probably hurt even more than he claimed if anything.

Ethan was also feeling horribly ill and exhausted and he didn't think he could cope with any more stress.

But if he cried, Cal would worry even more and Ethan didn't want that.

The fact Connie was with them was another incentive. Ethan didn't really want to cry in front of anyone if he could help it, but calmness and professionalism seemed even more important than usual when the clinical lead was there.

Connie was walking briskly out of the ED with Cal and Ethan staggering after her. Even in her shoes, which Ethan knew he'd never be able to wear due to his fear of heights (not that he really wanted to wear heels), she seemed to eat up the ground much as she ate up doctors and nurses who weren't pulling their weight.

Ethan wanted to ask Connie to slow down, but he was too scared. He didn't want to be ungrateful, but he wished she wasn't going home with them. He was surprised she could even be spared when they were already two doctors down. Ethan decided he would much rather go home with Robyn or Lofty, but it looked as though he wasn't going to get a choice in the matter.

They were halfway across the car park when Cal stopped suddenly.

Ethan wasn't sure if he was glad of the opportunity to have a rest or upset he had longer to wait before he could finally get into bed and sleep.

"Mrs Beauchamp?" said Cal meekly.

Connie swung round. "Can't keep up, Dr Knight? And I always thought you were a fit lad."

"I'm just a bit worried," said Cal. "You came on your bike today. I know Ethan's small, but I don't think there's room for all three of us, is there?"

"No – and even if there was, there's not much chance you'll be able to get your leg over," said Connie.

Cal looked like he didn't know what to say to that.

Strange, thought Ethan. Cal was always so good at talking to women. By his own admission.

Ethan might have smiled if he wasn't feeling so ill and guilty.

"But I'll spare you that embarrassment," said Connie. "I have my car here too. I think you'll find the back seat is very comfortable. I can vouch for that."

"Great," said Cal a bit nervously.

They started walking again. Ethan dragged his feet and tried not to faint. His bag felt very heavy, which didn't make much sense. It only had tissues in.

Cal stopped walking and waited for Ethan to catch up. "Are you okay?"

Ethan wished Cal hadn't waited for him. He felt so dizzy and if he fainted again, Cal might try to catch him and then he would end up hurting himself even more badly.

 _Why did I let him carry me? Why couldn't I just have got up and walked to the bedroom?_

"Are you okay?" Cal asked sympathetically.

"Couldn't be better," said Ethan.

Cal raised his eyebrows.

"Under the circumstances, I mean," said Ethan.

Cal put his arm carefully around Ethan's waist. "I've got you, Nibbles."

Ethan looked at him anxiously. "Promise me you won't try to catch me if I fall?"

"I promise," said Cal.

It was the tone of voice he usually employed when he promised to pay a bill or do some housework, but Ethan didn't think he had the energy to push it.

"Right," said Connie, when they reached her car. "Dr Hardy, get in the back, please. I want you flat on your back."

Ethan's guilt was was replaced by terror.

He knew Connie couldn't possibly mean what it sounded like she might mean, but what if she did?

Maybe Connie liked ill men. She did work in a hospital, after all.

"Caleb," said Connie. "I'm sure you could cope with any position as a general rule. Because of your back, I'll have to be very gentle with you, but I'm sure you can take it sitting down."

Ethan saw that Cal looked nearly as unnerved as he was feeling. Ethan was surprised. He'd always thought Cal quite fancied Connie.

"Dr Hardy?" said Connie. "Are you going to get in there or not?"

Ethan decided she probably meant getting into the car. He crawled inside and used his tissue box as a pillow. He thought it was quite a clever idea until he realised he needed a tissue and he was going to have to move his head.

Cal was groaning as he got into the front seat. "Are you okay, Ethan?"

Ethan sneezed. "There's my answer. You?"

"Dying," said Cal.

"Me too," said Ethan.

Connie got into the driver's seat. "You two must be desperate to go to bed."

Cal answered with a groan; Ethan with a cough.

"You're really not feeling yourselves, are you?" said Connie sympathetically as she drove out of the car park. "Maybe I can help perk you up."

* * *

Cal managed to sleep a bit on the journey home, but he was never allowed to sleep for long as Ethan kept waking him up by coughing, sneezing or blowing his nose. Not that it was particularly loud, but Cal was worried about his little brother so he was probably attuned to any sound he made.

At last, they arrived in the car park. Cal directed her to their empty parking space and they all went outside. He was a bit worried about whether Ethan would be able to get out of the car on his own in his weakened state, but he was actually a lot quicker than Cal.

The three of them went into the block of flats. Connie seemed pleased to see the lift. "Oh, good. I was hoping we could have a ride."

"It's broken," said Cal.

Connie pressed the button. There was a humming sound. "Perhaps you your fingering is at fault, Dr Knight."

Cal walked painfully into the lift. Ethan was supporting him as they walked, but as soon as the lift doors closed, Ethan sank to the floor and buried his head in his knees.

"Ethan?" Cal bent over slightly and was quickly reminded of why this was not a good idea.

"I don't feel well," whimpered Ethan.

"Not long now and I'll have you right where I want you," said Connie. She sounded like she was enjoying herself.

Cal didn't dare glare at Connie, so he glared at the floor instead. "It's okay, Nibbles. We'll be home soon."

"Nibbles," said Connie thoughtfully. "What do you like to nibble on, Dr Hardy? I'm a great fan of nuts, myself."

A coughing fit saved Ethan from having to answer.

The lift stopped and the doors opened. Cal staggered out, but Ethan stayed where he was.

"Dr Hardy, are you coming out?" said Connie.

Ethan tried to stand up, but he was very wobbly. His head flopped to one side and he held onto the wall as they walked.

Connie viewed him dispassionately. "You're not exactly erect, are you, Dr Hardy? You'd better grab hold of me."

Cal was surprised to find he wasn't as much amused by the scared look on Ethan's face as annoyed with Connie for teasing his little brother. He tried to think of something extremely clever and cutting to say in response.

He couldn't.

"Ethan, have you got the key?" he asked when they reached the flat.

Ethan had, but he needed to blow his nose first. Once he'd done that, he had a coughing fit. This made his eyes water, so he had to take off his glasses and wipe his eyes on a clean tissue, by which time he was sniffing again.

"Shall I do it?" said Cal, who badly wanted to sit down.

Connie sighed. "I'm sure your brother is perfectly capable of sticking it in a hole and jiggling it around."

Ethan whimpered slightly at this, but he finally managed to unlock the door.

Cal lifted his arm very carefully so he could hug his brother. "Come on, Ethan. Bedtime."

"I think sleeping together is definitely the way forward," said Connie.

"This way then," said Cal, who had never thought in a million years that Connie might one day be going into Ethan's bedroom.

As soon as they were inside, Ethan fell onto the bed and Cal almost did the same, only to remember his back at the last minute.

"Really, Dr Hardy," said Connie. "You go down easier than Dr Hanna on a night out."

Cal told himself that all she meant was that Zoe had been known to pass out drunk on occasion – though she more usually ended up doing something else.

"Aren't you going to take your clothes off?" said Connie.

Ethan made a strangled sound - probably a gasp that had turned into a cough halfway.

Connie walked over to Cal and put her hands in his. "Do you trust me?"

In Resus, Cal trusted her with every patient's life.

Right now in Ethan's bedroom, he wasn't so sure he trusted her at all.


	29. Chapter 29

**Tato Potato** , I don't think Cal and Ethan know quite what to think, but they're very scared and worried. Thank you for your review - I'm pleased you found the chapter humorous.

 **westlife4ever80** , I'm really happy you laughed - this is definitely not a story to take too seriously! I'm sure their faces would be a picture. Thank you for your review.

 **Bonnie Sveen Fan** , it's not fun to be ill at all. Cal could probably deal with Connie if he was well, but as it is, he doesn't know what to say. Thank you for your review.

 **HarryPotterHolbyAndHorses** , thank you for your review - I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Here's the update you requested!

 **Tanith Panic** , here's another chapter just like the last one! There will probably only be one or two more chapters after this one, but how many times have I said that? Thank you for your review.

 **ETWentHome** , thank you for your review. I don't mind if you laugh at the brothers - they might not appreciate it, but I do! I'm really glad you're still enjoying the story.

 _Thank you to **Strizzy** for the favourite._

* * *

Connie lifted Cal's arms above his head and slid her fingers inside his shirt. Cal tried to keep his face impassive, though he told himself that if he failed, he could always blame it on the pain.

Connie's fingers brushed his skin. He felt small jolts of something that could either be desire or terror. Cal didn't really want to think it was either, so he came up with a third solution: static electricity.

"You smell… interesting," said Connie. "Maybe I should get you in the shower before bed."

"I'd really rather just go to bed," said Cal.

Connie didn't look surprised. "I'm not sure I'd expect anything else from you, Dr Knight. Now hold still, please: it's time for me to show off my pulling technique."

Cal thought about running away, but he had a horrible feeling Connie would catch him (which would be embarrassing, apart from everything else) and if she didn't, she'd probably focus her attentions entirely on Ethan. Cal knew he had to protect his brother, so he stood still while Connie pulled his shirt over his head, trying not to react when her smooth skin brushed against his. He had no idea what she was going to do next and if his back hadn't been on fire, Cal had a feeling another part of him might have been.

As it was, he just wanted to go to bed.

With Ethan, that was.

Not, not _with_ Ethan. But…

Cal lost his train of thought. It was very difficult to think about anything when Connie was stalking around like a tigress getting ready to pounce.

Cal really didn't want her to pounce.

Not today, anyway.

Connie slowly walked around him. He felt almost naked - and considering he was topless, it wasn't far off being an accurate description.

"Do you like massages, Dr Knight?" asked Connie. "Would you like me to give you one?"

"I… um…"

"Take your jeans off and you might get lucky," said Connie. She looked into Cal's eyes and smiled.

Cal looked away first. "I, um, I don't think I can take my jeans off," he mumbled.

"Of course not: I can hardly ask you to bend over," said Connie.

Cal tried to match her nonchalance without displaying any flirtatiousness. It wasn't easy. "And I can hardly ask you to do it for me." Cal's calves hit the bed and he realised he'd actually backed away from her. He hadn't meant to do that.

He didn't know what was wrong with him. Connie was suggesting all sorts of delicious possibilities – the sort of possibilities he'd definitely fantasied about – and he was trying to run away.

A lot of people lost interest in sex when they were ill, but it didn't usually happen to Cal. Not that he would ever consider picking up a girl with he was contagious, but he was never convinced when a girl claimed she didn't want sex due to a headache. In Cal's experience, sex was an excellent and healthy alternative to painkillers. It didn't work so well with hangovers and could be a bit dodgy with migraines, but for tension headaches, sinus headaches, caffeine headaches and any other kind of headache Cal had experienced, sex was the perfect cure.

"I'll help with your jeans, Cal," offered Ethan. "Mrs Beauchamp, would you like to wait outside? I'm not sure this is something a lady ought to see."

Cal valued his life and career too much to point out that Connie's status as a lady seemed rather doubtful considering her current behaviour.

"Oh, don't worry about that, Dr Hardy," said Connie. "It's nothing I haven't seen before."

Ethan started coughing again. When he'd finished, he unzipped Cal's jeans and worked them down over his hips.

"Looks like you're a natural at removing other people's clothes, Dr Hardy," said Connie.

"Cal gets drunk sometimes," mumbled Ethan.

"I know," said Connie. "He and I had a quick one after work once."

" _Really?_ " gasped Ethan, who'd never questioned the clinical lead in his life as far as Cal was aware.

Cal hesitated. "In a manner of speaking."

"It was very quick," said Connie. "In and out in eight minutes."

Cal wasn't sure what to say to that. He couldn't really claim it was longer because they hadn't had sex and he couldn't tell the truth because he wasn't someone who liked to admit to not having had sex with someone. If it hadn't happened, he much preferred vagueness to honesty.

He was quite glad Ethan was busy pushing Cal's jeans over his ankles. This meant Ethan couldn't see the look on Cal's face.

"Can you step out of your jeans now, Cal?" said Ethan. "You can keep your pants on if you like."

Cal did as he was told with Ethan supporting him. Then Ethan found him some pyjamas and helped him to put them on.

"If you need any help getting it on," said Connie, "you only have to ask."

"That's quite all right, thank you." Ethan's cheeks were the same colour as his nose. "I.. um…"

"Well, you hardly need me, do you?" said Connie. "I feel quite _abandoned_." She smiled at Ethan. "Are you going to strip for me, then?"

"Um... let me just go to the loo first." Ethan grabbed his pyjamas and scurried out of the room.

Cal guessed Ethan would be getting changed in the bathroom. He silently applauded his brother's cleverness and wished he'd thought of it himself, but then again, hiding in the bathroom because there was a woman in the bedroom really wasn't Cal's style.

Connie came closer to Cal. "It's absolutely massive, Dr Knight."

Cal gulped. "Oh. Um. Thank you."

Connie lifted up the duvet cover. "It's quite big even for two. I imagine you and Ethan get quite lost in it."

"I think we've both been too ill to care very much," said Cal.

"Of course," said Connie sympathetically. "But I hope you've been seeing to your brother's needs. Dr Hardy probably doesn't get seen to very often. I'm sure he must get very frustrated."

Cal hesitated. "We've been making food together."

"I hope you do it sitting down," said Connie.

"Oh, um, yes," said Cal. "Ethan bends down to get things; I prepare the food sitting down; Ethan carries the tray into the bedroom."

"It sounds as though you're keeping each other's appetites very well-satisfied," said Connie.

"Um…"

Connie came closer. "Come on. Let me get you into bed."

Cal's mouth was too dry to answer. Connie pushed the bedclothes back and helped him into bed.

"What's your favourite position?" asked Connie.

" _What?_ " said Cal.

"Come on. It's not hard," said Connie. "Do you prefer to be on your back?"

"Um, yes," said Cal.

Connie smiled and sat beside him. "You know me: I like to stay on top of things."

Cal was very relieved when Ethan opened the door. He looked small, pale and wobbly. Connie got up from the bed and went over to him.

"Come on, Dr Hardy. Come with me," said Connie. She helped Ethan round to his side of the bed. "Your bed does look comfortable. I'm very tempted."

Ethan gave Cal a terrified look and busied himself with wiping his nose.

"You look very hot, Ethan," said Connie, as she helped him into bed.

"Do I?" said Ethan nervously.

"I think you should take your top off," said Connie.

Cal decided it was time to be a knight in shining armour. "You don't have to. Mrs Beauchamp, thank you so much for coming home with us and looking after us so well, but we really don't want to take up any more of your time."

"But anything might happen if I leave the two of you alone in bed," said Connie, one hand still on Ethan's shoulder.

The poor boy looked terrified.

"We'll be fine," said Cal.

Connie undid a button on her blouse. "It's very warm in here."

Cal was inclined to agree, but he didn't say so.

"The heating's up very high," said Connie. She sat on the bed and looked straight at Ethan. "I really think we need to have it off."

"Oh my gosh!" said Ethan. He looked at his brother. "Cal…" His voice was soft, but it was a cry for help.

Cal decided he'd better rise to the occasion. A moment later, he was feeling very glad he hadn't said that phrase out loud. "I don't think Ethan's too hot, Mrs Beauchamp," he said. "We're both fine. All we really want is to go to b… I mean…"

"To rest quietly," put in Ethan.

"Yes. And I'm sure there are lots of patients at the hospital who need your help more than we do," said Cal. "It would be selfish of us to ask for the services of an ED consultant."

"I've never had any complaints about my services before," said Connie.

"Oh, I'm not complaining!" said Cal quickly.

Connie looked at them both for a moment. "I think you both need me more than you realise. You need something good and hot inside you."

"Oh, Ethan can take care of that," said Cal. He glanced at Ethan. "Um… I mean…"

"Do you fancy some toad in the hole?" said Connie. "With melons for dessert. Perhaps I'll phone Sister Freeman. She has some lovely melons. Blackberries too. She showed me her bush the other day." She smiled and left the room.

Ethan turned a panicked face to Cal. "What are we going to do? I mean, I do think she's probably joking, but what if she's not? What if she's playing with us? What if she _wants_ to play with us?"

Cal was scrolling through his contacts. "Don't worry, Ethan. Your knight in shining armour has a plan." He ignored the face Ethan was making and found the number he was looking for. "Zoe? It's Cal. I don't suppose you're experiencing a shortage of doctors? No, I'm afraid Ethan can't possibly come back yet and I can barely walk, so I wouldn't be much use to you, but you could always phone Mrs Beauchamp. I know she's the clinical lead and everything, but I think you'll find she's quite happy to get down and dirty."


	30. Chapter 30

_I've written another chapter that follows on from this one, but after that, I think I'll be out of ideas! I really might have to finish it this time. Thank you to **Gingersnaps2507** for the idea of Ethan feeling very guilty and wanting to help Cal. _

**westlife4ever80** , poor Cal... he's probably been dreaming about Connie behaving like this for ages, but he's too ill and too injured to appreciate it. Thank you for your review - I really am glad you're enjoying it.

 **Tanith Panic** , Connie is a naughty girl! Though so am I, probably, for making her say them. I'm sure no other writer would have done that! I'm glad you like the innuendos, especially as you don't really like the illness element. Thank you for your review.

 **ETWentHome** , I am going to send Connie back to work - for one thing, I think I've run out of innuendos! It won't be easy for them at all. It very seldom is when I'm writing about them. Thank you for your review.

 _Thank you to **s1436229** for the favourite._

* * *

Cal lay on his back on Ethan's bed and tried not to whimper. The trip to the hospital was supposed to help his back, but it hadn't done it any good at all. He'd taken two of the painkillers Connie had prescribed, but they weren't helping at all so far.

He didn't want Ethan to know that though.

Ethan coughed a few times, sneezed twice and groped for his tissue box. He groaned. "Cal, I've run out of tissues."

"Have some of mine." Cal tried to sit up, but a flame seemed to shoot through his back. He waited a couple of moments, aware of Ethan sniffing beside him, and tried again. "OW!"

Ethan sat up in alarm. "Cal, are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm great," said Cal with a grimace.

"Are you sure?" Ethan asked anxiously.

"I've always been great," said Cal, not quite able to keep the pain out of his voice. "Great brother, great doctor… all-round great guy."

Ethan sniffed. "That wasn't what I meant. Sorry, do you mind if I…" He leaned across Cal for a tissue. "Thanks, Cal." He covered his nose with the tissue and flopped back onto the bed.

Cal watched Ethan sympathetically. The poor boy really wasn't well at all and exhausting himself with a trip to hospital really hadn't helped. "Have the whole box if you like."

"Thanks, but you might need it," said Ethan nasally. "I think there's another box in the bathroom." Ethan held on to the bedside table and dragged himself to his feet.

"Are you sure you should be walking?" said Cal.

"It's okay. I'm fine," said Ethan. "I don't feel that ill at all." He covered his mouth with the tissue and coughed. "I'm fine, Cal. Really."

Cal watched as Ethan staggered around the bed, holding onto the wall to keep himself upright. His eyes looked glassy and he kept stopping to wipe his nose.

"I'm all right," mumbled Ethan when he saw Cal looking at him. "I really am all right." He walked unsteadily out of the room and Cal heard him blowing his nose and moaning to himself.

Cal wanted to jump out of bed, run to Ethan and carry him back to bed. But he couldn't do any of those things.

It surprised Cal just how much it hurt him to see his little brother so ill. It wasn't the first time Ethan had been ill, of course, but Cal had always been able to help him in some way. If Cal wasn't injured, he could have got Ethan the tissues or at least helped him to walk to the bathroom. As it was, he was completely useless.

Cal thumped the bed in frustration and cried out in pain.

Punching the bed wasn't nearly as satisfactory when your leg got in the way. Especially not when it hurt your back too.

After a while, Ethan came back, looking paler than ever and coughing weakly. He looked worried. "Are you okay? I thought I heard you screaming."

"That wasn't me," said Cal. "Did you find any tissues?"

Ethan nodded and held up the box. "These might last me till the end of the day if I'm lucky."

Cal sent him a sympathetic look. "I'll call Lofty and ask him to go and buy us some more."

Ethan nodded. The fact he didn't argue was another sign of how ill he was feeling. He was leaning on the wall again as he made his way back to his side of the bed. He flopped onto it, face-down. "I think I've squashed the tissue box."

"I'm sure they'll still all work," said Cal reassuringly.

Ethan rolled onto his back and put the tissues next to his pillow. "Oh, Cal. I feel so awful." He pulled the covers up to his chin.

Cal lifted his hand very carefully and managed to reach across and touch Ethan's arm without too much pain. "Don't worry, Nibbles. You will get better. I'm getting better now and I didn't have any flu meds to help me."

"I don't mean that," said Ethan. "Cal…" His voice wobbled and he stopped for a moment. "Cal, I'm so, so sorry about your back. If there's ever anything I can do, all you have to do is ask. Well, if you want me to pick up girls and bring them back here so they can, um, meet you, I would draw the line at that. But if you want me to fetch and carry things or give you a massage or something, then I'm always…" He stopped to sneeze into a tissue. "Sorry. I'm sure the last thing you want is me being anywhere near you you at the moment. But I'm always here. And I'm so sorry for hurting you."

Cal squeezed his arm very gently. "Ethan, you don't have to apologise. Not at all. Please don't worry about it."

Ethan nodded and tried to smile, but Cal had a feeling it would take a miracle to stop his little brother from feeling guilty.

* * *

Ethan could tell Cal was asleep. He was snoring loudly. Ordinarily, Ethan would have considered poking him until he rolled onto his side, but he knew that wouldn't help Cal's back. The very last thing Ethan should be doing was making it worse.

He lay in bed for a moment, hating himself for being so stupid. He shouldn't have let Cal carry him. He wasn't very heavy, but Cal wasn't well himself and he was always so lazy about lifting things properly. At least, it was partly laziness and partly a conviction that he was strong enough to lift anything, but he'd still ended up hurt and Ethan had known Cal wasn't in any state to lift him, even if Cal didn't.

All Ethan wanted now was to make it up to him. He pushed the bedclothes aside, put his glasses on and picked up his tissues. Even just sitting up was making him feel tired, but he knew he mustn't give up. He used the bedside table to help him stand up. It rocked a little bit but didn't fall. Ethan put a hand out, bracing it against the wall to support him as he walked out of the bedroom. He felt a sneeze coming, but he managed to stop it. Slowly, he inched his way out of the room, wishing he didn't feel quite so dizzy. His legs were very shaky and his head was aching, but at least his nose was behaving itself for now.

Of course, as soon as he'd thought that, it stopped behaving itself. Ethan leaned against the wall while he dealt with it, then he started walking again, still using the wall for support.

At last, he reached the door and walked through it, closing it behind him so he'd be less likely to disturb Cal. Ethan leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He really wanted to sit down, but he wasn't convinced he'd ever be able to get up again. Slowly, he put one forward in front of the other. He didn't collapse so he did the same with the other foot. He still felt like he was going to fall, but it hadn't happened yet so perhaps it wouldn't.

The force of Ethan's next coughing fit came close to pushing him over, but leaning against the wall helped him to stay upright. He started walking again, aware of the trembling in his legs as well as the heaviness of his head, then he felt a sneeze coming and somehow persuaded his hand to move quickly enough to grab another tissue and hold it over his nose.

 _I am dying_ , thought Ethan as he finally entered the kitchen. _And I probably deserve it._

He went over to the fridge and bent down to look at what was inside. As neither he nor Cal had done much in the way of shopping lately, there wasn't much. He did find a few tins of soup, which he knew was a good thing to eat when you had the flu, but he didn't want to make a meal that would be more beneficial for him than for Cal. Besides, there wasn't much effort involved in opening a tin of soup.

Ethan stood, leaning on the kitchen counter as he tried to decide what to make, but his head felt stuffy and he wasn't having much success with thinking of anything at all.

He started to look through the cupboards, holding a tissue in one hand and searching through the cupboards with the other. Standing on tiptoes made him feel even more off-balance, but he managed to stay upright and eventually decided to make lasagne.

It wasn't usually a meal Ethan would find difficult, but everything seemed difficult today. After a few minutes of struggling, he went to get himself a dining chair to sit on and a waste paper basket for his used tissues, moving himself and the lasagne as close to the sink as he could so he didn't have to go too far to wash his hands. A couple of times, he gave up on what he was doing and rested his head on the table, closing his eyes and wishing he was back in bed, but that never lasted long.

He owed Cal and he was determined to make him a lovely dinner.


	31. Chapter 31

**Tanith Panic** , thank you for your review. I can imagine Ethan being careful about hygiene, even when he's cooking for someone with the same germs. I don't think he's dying, but I'm not at all sure Ethan would agree with that. And he's the doctor!

 **Teeloganroryflan** , thank you for your review. I agree that this is not a good time for Ethan to start pushing himself. Unfortunately, I don't think he's listening.

* * *

At last, the lasagne was ready. Ethan pushed himself to his feet and carried the baking tray over to the oven. He'd forgotten to pre-heat it, so he set the timer for a slightly longer cooking time. He felt like he should go back to the bedroom and check on Cal – he might need help getting to the bathroom or something – but it seemed like such a long way so he decided to go and rest on the sofa for a while first.

Ethan picked up the timer and the tissues and made his way out of the kitchen. The ticking of the timer made his headache worse and the room seemed to be swaying from side to side, but he kept on walking. When he finally reached the sofa, his knees gave way, but he managed to land on the sofa, his face in a cushion and his legs hanging off the side. It was such an improvement on standing up, he decided he'd be happy to stay like that forever, but he knew that he'd need to blow his nose sooner rather than later and that would be difficult with his head in a cushion. With a great effort, he rolled onto his side.

Some time later, he was awoken by a shrill sound. At first, he thought it was a patient. Once he'd worked out he wasn't at the hospital, he decided it might be Cal. It wasn't until he tripped over the timer that he realised that was the source of the noise. He switched it off and staggered back to the kitchen, where he opened the oven to find the perfect lasagne.

At least, it looked perfect. Ethan couldn't smell anything at all.

He got a couple of plates and divided the lasagne in two, putting half on each. This made him feel dizzy – in addition to being ill, he was probably in need of food, although he didn't really feel hungry – but he managed it. He put the two plates and the tissues on a tray and carried them out of the kitchen.

Ethan was almost at his bedroom when he realised he was going to sneeze. He considered putting the tray down, but then he'd have to pick it up again. He didn't really feel strong enough to stand up with a tray in his hands and bending down would make the giddiness worse. So he stayed standing and turned his head to the side, trying to stop the sneeze but hoping he'd be prepared if it insisted on escaping.

When it came, it was more violent than Ethan was expecting. His whole body jolted with the force of it and the tray tipped up. One plate crashed to the floor, spilling its contents all over the carpet. The other one followed. It hit the hard surface of the first plate and smashed. Ethan looked at the mess all over the floor: the sad remains of his efforts to create a lovely meal for Cal.

It was so unfair. All he wanted was to make his brother feel better and now… _this_.

Ethan collapsed onto the floor and began to cry.

* * *

Cal was quite experienced at waking up to discover he was in agonising pain, but he wouldn't quite say, even now, that he was used to it.

He was fairly sure he'd gone to sleep lying on his back, but he'd twisted onto his side and curled up, a position which his back did not appreciate at all.

"Ethan?" he said, not too loudly in case Ethan was asleep too, but Cal really hoped he wasn't. He was very uncomfortable in this position and he needed Ethan's help to untangle himself. "Ethan?"

No answer.

Cal grimaced as he moved one hand behind him, feeling for Ethan's arm, but Ethan didn't seem to be there at all.

Then Cal became aware of a sound. A gasping sort of sound as though someone was crying.

Cal suddenly realised he was sitting up. He didn't remember deciding to sit up; he didn't even remember the pain of it (though it did now feel rather as though someone was trying to cut him in half. Or at least how he imagined that might feel). But the pain didn't seem to matter very much when Ethan was crying.

Cal swung his legs painfully over the side of the bed. Standing up was agony and caused him to gasp and cry out (very quietly, just once… or maybe twice… no more than three times), temporarily drowning out the sound of Ethan's sobs, but at last he was upright. He moved towards the door, wincing and grimacing but certainly not giving up, and opened the door.

A pitiful sight met his eyes. On the floor was a tray and two upside-down plates. Whatever had once been on then was spread over the carpet in a rather repulsive-looking mess. Ethan was sitting beside it, his head in his hands as he wept, probably with exhaustion as much as anything else.

Cal walked painfully to his side and looked down at his little brother. Ethan sniffled loudly a couple of times, then dissolved into more sobs. Cal felt close to tears too. All he wanted was to sit down beside him and hold him very tightly, but even if he could persuade his back to let him get all the way down to the floor, he doubted it would allow him to stand up again.

But he decided that wasn't important. Ethan needed him now. Cal would worry about problems like standing up later.

He kept his back as straight as possible as he let himself sink into a kneeling position. He put one arm around Ethan and tried to lift his head with the other. "Hey, Nibbles. What happened? Did you drop it? It's okay. We'll clean it up."

Ethan lifted two very wet eyes to Cal's face and sniffed. "I… dropped it!" he said in tremulous tones. "I sneezed and it made me drop it!" He lowered his head and cried some more.

"Hey, it's okay!" Cal could see Ethan had had a trying and exhausting day and had reached the end of his rope – though dropping the dinner all over the hall would upset a lot of people. Cal patted his back and then reached for the tissue box Ethan had presumably also dropped. "Here, Nibbles," he said, half-forgetting that Ethan wasn't a little boy anymore. "Blow your nose and I'll give you a cuddle."

Perhaps Ethan had forgotten he wasn't a little boy too. He did as he was told and snuggled into his brother's chest. Hugging Ethan was painful, but Cal didn't care. Not when Ethan needed him.

"There, Nibbles. It's okay," said Cal. He rubbed Ethan's back. "Don't worry. We'll clear it all up and I'll order a takeaway."

"But I wanted to make something special for you," hiccuped Ethan, sounding a good twenty years younger than he was.

"And you did," said Cal, eyeing the remains of the dinner with some distaste. "It looks… lovely. I could almost eat it off the carpet, it looks so good!"

Ethan gave a loud sob that might just possibly have been a laugh, though Cal wasn't sure.

"But why did you want to make me something special?" said Cal, confused. "What did I do?"

Ethan sat up and wiped his tears. "Because I-I wanted to show you how s-sorry I was for m-making you hurt your back."

"Ethan, why are you sorry?" said Cal. "You didn't make me do it. As far as I remember, you told me not to."

"I should have stopped you," said Ethan, his eyes filling again.

"Since when can you stop me from doing anything?" said Cal as Ethan scrubbed his eyes. His little brother looked so tired. He should be in bed, not running about taking Cal to hospital and cooking dinner.

Ethan took a shaky breath and wiped his nose. "I can stop you sometimes."

Cal lifted Ethan's chin. "Listen to me, Nibbles. It's not your fault, okay? And think about it. Why did I need to carry you to bed?"

"Because I'm not very well," said Ethan in an unsteady voice.

"Yes, and why are you not very well?" said Cal.

Ethan looked at him uncertainly, a small crease appearing between his brows. "I don't know," he said, before coughing.

"Because I gave you my germs, that's why!" He brushed a tear from Ethan's cheek with his thumb. "So you don't owe me anything, do you?"

"I suppose not," said Ethan in a little voice.

Cal put his arm around him, ignoring the pain. The pain was worth it if it meant he could make his little brother feel better. Ethan rested his head on Cal's shoulder and closed his eyes. "There. It's okay," said Cal.

Then Ethan's eyes jerked open. "What about your back? I'm probably making it worse!"

"It's fine," said Cal. "Don't worry about it." He pushed Ethan's head back down onto his shoulder. Despite the pain; despite the mess on the floor, he could happily stay here for a long time.

He felt Ethan move his head and urged him not to move, but Ethan knew better. He grabbed a tissue and sneezed into it. "Sorry. I'm so disgusting." He sneezed again.

"Okay: first of all, you're not disgusting, and second of all, you're going to bed right now," said Cal. He patted Ethan's shoulder sympathetically while he sneezed for a third and fourth time and then offered him another tissue.

"Thanks." When Ethan finally resurfaced from his tissues, his nose was redder than ever. "What about dinner? I've got to clear it up, Cal. You're in too much pain and we can't leave it there."

"I'll clear it up," said Cal.

"Do you even know how?" said Ethan.

"I'll… work it out."

Ethan coughed and shivered a bit. "How about we do it together?"

Cal looked at him doubtfully, but then he nodded. "Okay."

"I'll get the stuff," said Ethan as he got to his feet, holding onto the wall. "Because I know what to look for and I know where it is."

"Get a blanket or something to put round you first," said Cal. "You're shivering and you're ill enough already."

Ethan almost managed a laugh. "So that's how to get you to do the housework. Maybe I should drop the dinner on the floor and cry over it more often."


	32. Chapter 32

_I'm going to finish the story here as I don't have any more ideas, but if you do have any more ideas, just let me know and I'll be very happy to add them to the story. Ethan is still ill at the end (even though the story was supposed to be all about Cal being ill!), so he could easily suffer for a bit longer if anyone wanted him to. Thank you for all the support with this story. I hope you've enjoyed reading it._

 **CBloom2** , thank you for your review. They really are struggling! Cal probably needed to go to the hospital to get some stronger painkillers, but it really didn't do poor Ethan any good! I'm afraid they're not feeling better in this chapter either, but I'm hoping things will be a bit easier for them by the end.

 **Tanith Panic** , I think even doctors can be drama queens. They do make the worst patients, after all! I don't suppose Ethan really believes he's going to die. He just feels like he might (and possibly kind of wishes he would). Thank you for your review. I hope this chapter isn't too graphic.

 **westlife4ever80** , thank you for your reviews. Ethan is really kind and I can imagine him wanting to look after Cal when he's ill (except when it's a hangover!), but he ended up pushing himself too hard. Luckily, Cal managed to be the protective big brother for once!

 **ETWentHome** , you're right - Cal won't have done his back any good at all with all that exertion. It might be even worse tomorrow! I don't think he regrets going to comfort Ethan though. I think Ethan really needed him too. It's only a couple of plates, but after all that effort, it can feel like the end of the world!

 _Thank you to **Lucy Ruth** for the follow._

* * *

Cal and Ethan had tried to clean the lasagne up, but they hadn't got very far. Now, Cal was sitting with his back against the wall, groaning, while Ethan lay with his head in Cal's lap, also groaning.

Ethan wiped his sore nose and put his tissue on the growing pile beside him. "Sorry, Cal. I'll throw them away in a minute."

As he'd been saying this for at least half an hour, Cal didn't hold out much hope, but he didn't mind. He stroked Ethan's hair, ignoring the pain that shot through his back.

"We can't stay here forever," said Ethan between coughs.

"I know. We won't," said Cal. He closed his eyes.

When the doorbell rang, Ethan went so far as to lift his head. "I'll get it."

"It probably isn't anything important," said Cal.

Ethan tried to push himself up into a sitting position. He couldn't do it. "No. I'm sure you're right." He lay down again.

There was a long silence and Cal decided their visitor must have gone away. He started playing with Ethan's hair again.

Ethan's head jerked back and forth as he sneezed. "Ow!" He sneezed again. "Cal, you're pulling my hair! Well, you're not really, but it hurts!"

Cal let go of Ethan's hair hurriedly. "Sorry, Nibbles."

"Oh, my nose hurts," groaned Ethan as he reached for another tissue.

"I think you might be nearly as ill as I was," said Cal as he stroked Ethan's shoulder. Then he frowned as a tiny click came to his ears. "Shh, Ethan!"

"Sorry, Cal, " said Ethan, adjusting his tissue and blowing his nose more quietly this time.

"Ethan, stop that!" whispered Cal. He heard another click.

Ethan rolled over slightly, his tissue still clamped to his nose, and glared at Cal. "I can't help it! I have flu, you know! I'm not blowing my nose for the fun of it. Because it's not fun. At all! I feel disgusting and it hurts!"

"Ethan, be quiet!" hissed Cal.

Ethan carried on glaring at him, but his eyes widened with horror as they heard the front door close. "What are we going to do?"

It was a good question. Cal wasn't sure which of them was less-equipped to deal with possibly-armed intruders, though he thought Ethan's nose would put a lot of burglars off.

"Cal? Ethan?" called a voice, and Max and Lofty appeared.

"What the hell are you doing in our flat?" said Cal angrily. "You frightened u… um, I mean you frightened Ethan to death!"

Max looked injured. "You asked Lofty to do the shopping and you wouldn't let us in! So we used Lofty's credit card."

Ethan dabbed his nose. "Thank you for doing the shopping. I appreciate it."

Lofty started to bend down, only to recoil.

"I'm sorry," said Ethan, clearly embarrassed. "I was going to throw them away."

Max's face twisted with disgust. "What is THAT?" he asked, pointing not to Ethan's used tissues but to Ethan's lasagne.

"That's the nicest lasagne anyone's ever made me," said Cal.

"Really?" said Max doubtfully.

"I dropped it," said Ethan with a little quiver in his voice. "We got the stuff for cleaning it up, but we thought we should have a rest before we started."

"We'll clean it up," said Lofty. "You two need to go to bed. Max, can you help me lift Ethan, please? Then we'll come back for Cal."

Ethan looked doubtful. "Aren't we a bit heavy? Cal hurt his back when he carried me to bed and Cal's much taller than me."

"I'm a porter," said Max. "It's my job to carry things."

"And I'm a nurse so it's my job to look after ill people," said Lofty. He knelt beside Ethan. "We'll help you to stand up, Ethan, then we'll give you a princess chair."

"A _princess_ chair?!" Cal started laughing, only to discover that hurt his back too.

Max and Lofty hauled Ethan to his feet.

"Put your arms around us," instructed Max.

Ethan looked worried. "What if I need a tissue?"

"It'll only be a few seconds," said Max.

"But I-" Ethan sneezed loudly, the sound rising to a squeak before ending in a sort of roar. "Oh, my goodness! I'm so sorry. I didn't know I was going to do that!" Ethan grabbed a tissue and turned away from Lofty and Max to blow his nose. "I'm sorry. I'm so disgusting. I'm overdue for my medication and I've done far too much today and-" He sneezed a few more times and took another tissue. "I really am so sorry."

"It's okay, Ethan," said Cal, slightly amused to see that Ethan's face was as red as his nose. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about. You're only sneezing. We all do it."

"Not quite like that though!" said Ethan, tears of shame in his eyes.

Lofty knelt beside him and put his hand on Ethan's shoulder. "I've sneezed like that before. In cubicles. In front of Mrs Beauchamp. Don't worry: it happens to everyone."

"And I sneezed once when I was in bed with Zoe," offered Max.

"And I sneezed once in Resus," said Cal, leaving out the part about Robyn wiping his nose.

Ethan seemed to relax a little bit. "I'm glad it's not just me."

"Course it's not," said Cal.

"Okay, Ethan. "This princess chair," said Max, ignoring Cal's smirk. "If you just put one arm around me and keep your other hand for holding your tissues, that should work. You're only a little thing so we shouldn't drop you."

Ethan sat on Max and Lofty's joined hands, holding several tissues over his nose, just in case.

"Okay, Ethan?" said Lofty.

Cal thought the last thing Ethan felt was okay, but Ethan just smiled sweetly and said: "Yes, thank you, Lofty."

* * *

Much later, Cal and Ethan were lying in their back eating some tomato soup Lofty had made. They'd bought lots of food, as well as several boxes of tissues and some cough and throat sweets.

The soup was making Ethan's nose run, but it was good to get some warm food inside him. He only wished he could taste it.

As they ate, Max and Lofty talked them through a rota they'd organised with Robyn, ensuring that someone would be there to look after Cal and Ethan almost all the time over the next few days.

"I'm looking forward to Robyn coming tomorrow!" said Cal. "Just imagine. Robyn with her hands all over me; Robyn pressed up against me to keep me upright…"

"No!" said Max. " _Don't_ imagine it. That's my sister, remember, and I happen to be much stronger than you at the moment."

"Oh, right. Yeah," said Cal, and didn't make any more inappropriate comments about Robyn.

"We thought we'd try and get Rita involved too," said Lofty.

Cal was so excited, he sat up in bed, only for his back to remind him that was a very bad idea. Ethan hugged him until he'd stopped whimpering.

"Or we could ask Mrs Beauchamp," suggested Max, a wicked glint in his eye.

"No!" said Ethan, and started coughing in his agitation. "She's too scary!"

Cal put his arm painfully around Ethan. "You're not bringing anyone here who's going to scare my little brother."

Max looked at Lofty and they both laughed. "Like we'd dare ask her anyway!"

* * *

"Do you think I'll ever get better?" asked Ethan, as he and Cal lay in Ethan's bed together.

"Of course you will," said Cal. "I know it feels like you're dying, but you'll be fine. Like you said, you overdid it today."

"I thought you were making a fuss about nothing like you usually do," said Ethan. "But I think you were probably being quite brave."

Cal smiled. "Well, what did you expect from the Knight?"

"Don't be so smug," said Ethan. "I feel ill enough already without you adding to it."

Cal lifted his hand carefully and stroked Ethan's arm. "You'll feel much better tomorrow when you're lying in bed all day with Robyn and Rita all over you."

"I heard that!" Max appeared in the doorway with Lofty at his side.

"Not in a rude way!" said Cal quickly. "I just meant nurses are really… motherly."

"I'm not sure Robyn and Rita would like knowing you think of them as mother figures," said Lofty. "Women can be sensitive about potential age references."

Max laughed. "Unlike men. If you tell Lofty he's a mother figure, he won't mind at all, will you, mate?"

"Um… no," said Lofty doubtfully. "Of course not."

"Okay, do you two need anything before we go to bed?" said Max.

Cal smirked. "So, you _are_ going to bed together."

"I'm sleeping on the sofa," said Max.

"You let Lofty have the bed?" said Ethan.

Max looked slightly injured. "Of course I did! That way, the nurse is nearest if you call for help."

Lofty nodded. "It's exactly like being on call, except there's no danger of being shaken awake by Mrs Beauchamp."

Cal and Ethan exchanged glances. That really was a terrifying thought.

* * *

Ethan lay on his back and sniffed repeatedly, too tired to move. His arms seemed to weigh twenty stone at least.

"Ethan, stop sniffing," sighed Cal. "It's giving me a headache."

"Me too," admitted Ethan as he groped for a tissue. "Why is this tissue so heavy, Cal? I'm sure it's not supposed to be."

"You're just tired, Ethan."

"And half-dead." After blowing his nose, Ethan let his arm fall back onto the bed with a thump. "Cal, I want to go to sleep."

"Then go to sleep, Nibbles," said Cal. His hand found Ethan's.

"Weird," mumbled Ethan. "But quite nice."

"Yes: that's a very good description of yourself," said Cal.

"Just don't tell me your description of _your_ self," murmured Ethan. "I really don't think I could cope with hearing how wonderful you are."

Cal laughed. "I'm glad you think I'm wonderful, Nibbles!"

"Stop teasing me, Caleb. I'm not very well."

"I know. But you will get better. I promise." Cal's voice became soft; almost hypnotic. "Now, go to sleep, little Nibbles. Close your eyes and go to sleep. Because if you don't… I'm going to tell you lots of stories about your favourite Knight in Shining Armour!"

Just the thought of it was enough to put Ethan to sleep.


End file.
